Tomorrow Is Forever Coming
by SniperGirl0907
Summary: Movieverse AU: After the defeat of the Dark Spark and the salvation of the 'other earth'; where does life go from here? There's much to contemplate, & even more to consider as life moves on and the unknown future lies ahead. Ashley's got to adjust to his new life as a techno-organic anomaly, the bots ponder on the future, as do their charges; & the 9 are awoken from their stasis...
1. Chapter 1 Fearful Hope

A/N: Yeah! New story! So here's where we jump off into the next load of craziness _ For those of you who haven't read Spark In The Shell, there's a bit of reference to the Ghost in the Shell characters here & there, who were part of the previous story since it was a crossover; to get where I'm coming from, either go read Spark In The Shell, or go to the Ghost In The Shell Wiki, it'll have everything there ;) Anyway, this fic's generally a load of conversations/chats, no action here I'm afraid :( But everyone's touching on some pretty important issues that will be cropping up in the stories to come, so if you wanna stick around & give yer noodle a work-out feel free to take a gander. And please note, if your not sure what's going on, go to my profile page and read the details, failing that, feel free to asked any inquiries in your review ;) So without further ado, read and enjoy! And for those of you who read Spark In The Shell all the wat through Welcome back!

Synopsis: After the defeat of the Dark Spark and the salvation of the 'other earth'; where does life go from here? There's much to contemplate, & even more to consider as life moves on and the unknown future lies ahead. Ashley's got to adjust to his new life as a techno-organic anomaly, the bots ponder on the future, as do their charges; & the 9 are awoken from their stasis and introduced to the rest of Optimus Prime's ranks.

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.

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TOMORROW IS FOREVER COMING

Chapter 1: Fearful Hope

Somewhere in the Californian desert - NEST base:

"You know? I'd forgotten just how big this place is" Tom said offhand as he stood at the edge of the cliff, and gulped in nervy hesitation as he speculated at how many hundreds of feet it was to the bottom.

"I'm not so sure; New Port was _huge!_ I ain't ever seen a city like that before" Danny objected subtly, staying well away from the edge.

"Danny, you've never been to any other city besides Bath, and New Port made that place look like a little country village" the taller teen smiled as he stepped back and sat on the rock his ginger cousin had perched himself on.

"So? What're you thinking about?" Tom thought aloud as he watched the crows flying over the wide open space.

"How much I miss having the BSHB; it's shit not being able to fly anymore, or shoot lasers an' stuff" Danny sighed as he rubbed the back of his shoulder where the BSHB had previously been bonded to his skin.

"Amen, but it was fun while it lasted..." Tom sighed in happy nostalgia, he let a moment of silence pass before he asked: "...so what _else_ are you thinking about?"

"About what?"

"The obvious" Tom gazed at him a knowing look; leaning back against the rock, Danny stared off into the sky as his thoughts took him back to the events of the past month.

"...I don't know; it's only been 3 days since we got back, I'm still feeling pretty tired from the last week, but really? ...I'm not so sure"

"...I still can't believe we survived, never mind the fact that we saved an entire world"

"Mores the pity" Danny sighed

"Why?"

"Because no one else besides the rest of NEST is gonna know about it; and with the Pentagon's NSC guys telling us to keep it way on the down low we can't even tell our own families. That seriously shit" he frowned

"Maybe, but how do you explain that you went up against a giant slime monster made up of rouge nanites and an army of former-human robot-alien hybrid zombies?"

"Good point, especially when you put it like that. But even so-...*sigh*" Danny sighed & dropped his gaze, unsure what to say exactly.

"What's wrong? You can talk to me you know?"

"It's just-...Do you remember when those nanite-bug's came for us and they ate Section 9's HQ from the inside out?"

"How could I forget? Those little buggers almost chewed my leg off"

"Yeah well; there was a moment when-, I was making my way up to the roof, to the tiltrotor, and-, I don't know why but when I got hit in the back of the head by that falling debris, and I got buried under those beams...I couldn't activate my BSHB"

"...What? But you said-"

"-I lied..." Danny blurted out, an uncertain silence pasted between the two cousins before Tom contemplated his blunt outburst, and asked, "...Why?"

"...I was scared" Danny looked away in shame; Tom was slightly nonplussed for a moment before asking; "...Wha-, Danny we were all scared, _I_ was scared. Even towards the end and it looked like we weren't gonna make it, I still-"

"No, it wasn't like that!" he snapped

"Then what was?" Tom frowned in confusion, wondering what had prompted this; with a heavy sigh and a pained look on his face, Danny gazed back at his cousin.

"...It felt I was back down in Glas Wheal again..."

"..."

An uneasy silence pasted as Tom realized what he was referring to, and nodded in understanding.

"...That was years ago" he said softly as he put his arm around Danny's shoulder, "I know; but in that one moment, I honestly thought-, felt like I was back down in that darkness again...I thought I'd put it behind me. Obviously not" the ginger teen sighed as his mind cast his thoughts back to that day, probably the worst day of his life.

"So you had one bad flash-back; that doesn't make you a coward. Hell you were anything _but _a coward that day the Dark Spark came for us"

"True, but if I freaked out once, what's to say it won't happen again?"

"It won't" Tom stated

"And you know that for a fact?" Danny glanced at him with an unreadable look in his eyes.

"...What's brought all this on? Not a week ago we'd just saved a whole world from extinction, thanks in part to you; 48 hours ago we were partying with the guys and happy to be home at long last, and now your pondering on whether or not a one-time freak-out constitutes you being a coward for the majority of your life? . What's wrong?" Tom cut to the point; knowing he wasn't going to drop the subject Danny folded his arms and gazed up at the sky as he tried to formulate the right words in his head.

"... I don't know, exactly...Growing up, I was the only one out of the 6 of us who ever got picked on, both in & outta school. Morri could always talk her way out of a bad situation, you could always stand your ground with your height, Doyle was-, well Doyle; Abby could mouth-off and even when Ashley first started secondary school everyone learnt very quickly you don't mess with him...Why, out of all of us couldn't _I_ ever find the right words or the right move to duck out?"

"Hey, if this is about Gavin Pritchard & Blakeley brothers-"

"It's _not just_ about them, or what they did that day...It's just, why has it taken me this long to finally learn to grow some balls?"

"Maybe because you had good reason _not_ to feel so scared? That thing was gonna destroy everything & everyone; we all knew that, maybe that's why we could do it, why we _knew_ we could do it. Glen's still can't get over it, and neither can Miles or Hailey"

"Yeah, so why do I feel like I've been such a pathetic looser all this time? I can stand up to a giant slime monster but not a couple of idiots who do all their thinking with their fists? What does that say about me?" Danny huffed in agitation.

"I think it says; that you want to go looking for a fight to accommodate your now slightly larger ego" Tom glanced at him with a serious look

"Huh?"

"Think about it. You go through a seriously huge 'shit-hit-the-fan' scenario, come out the other end realizing you've got more balls that you thought, and the first thing you want is to get pay-back for all the shit that's been handed to you in life. To make those that hurt you, know what it means to _feel_ hurt"

Danny huffed in uncomfortable admittance, he knew Tom was right, but he didn't want to admit it; and Tom got the feeling he'd hit the nail on the head as his cousin's face softened into a mixed look of defeat and aporia; unsure how to answer him.

"...You're not the first guy Gavin & his idiot cousins have picked on-" Tom sighed, "& you sure as hell won't be the last. He used to take a pop at me whenever he thought he could, and just cuz I was a foot & a half taller doesn't mean I was immune; God only knows I wanted to punch his lights out more than a few times, especially for what he did that day. Even Morri got ragged on more than once; the guy's an idiot with a capital 'I', the very definition of arrogance; trust me he's not worth the time or the energy..."

"I know..." Danny sighed, "But why did it have to come back at _that _exact moment?"

"Hey, the brain's weird like that; for instance, did you know that every time I see jelly babies, I can't help but think of Christine Higgins?" Tom smiled; Danny snapped his head up in surprise and stared at him.

"...You think of Christine Higgins every time you see jelly babies?" Danny raised an eyebrow in weirded out disbelief.

"Weird? Yeah I know" Tom smiled sheepishly

"You think?" the ginger teen smiled, "...But why jelly babies?"

"Remember that beach party back in 04?" Tom shot him a cheeky wink

"Oh yeah! And she wore that- ..." He grinned wickedly as he realized what he was referring to, "...Oh you pervert"

"Hey I only watched! I wasn't the one who loosened the string on her bikini!" Tom chuckled

"But you _did _move that sweet stand in front of her" Danny pointed out

"True. But the rest just happened as karma dictated" Tom chuckled; the two lads fell about each other in a fit of laughter. After calming down, they sat in silence before Danny spoke up again, "...That was a good summer" he smiled.

"Yeah, and so was this one"

"Hey, we're only into July, we've still got August to get through"

"That's true-" Tom nodded, a buzzing in his pocket brought his mind to attention as he reached in and pulled out his cell phone., "...It's Uncle Johnny, I'll be back in ten minutes" he said as he stood up.

"Don't bother, I'll come down in a while" Danny replied as his cousin took off for the base entrance. As he was left alone on the rock, he heaved a heavy sigh as he watched the crows glide on the warm desert winds; their caws and squawks echoed up the side of the gorge, and along the 3 giant cybertronian spaceships that were standing still at the bottom. At over five miles long and just over a mile at its widest, the gorge was more like a miniature canyon in terms of size and scale; its vertical sides rose from anywhere between 400-500 hundred feet above the bottom, with the airbase situated on the western top-side while the eastern side served as the combat training grounds, complete with a small mock-up of a town for urban combat practice. The rest of the base however, was built into the cliff sides and deep underground, away from the searing heat of the desert, and away from prying eyes...or optics. But the angle of the gorge's cliffs were dangerously deceptive, at a distance and when viewed at the correct angle, especially at night or on a very hot day when the heat was rising off the desert, the top of the gorge disappeared from sight, and when viewed from among the rocky stacks and larger boulders among the nearby hills it looks like a very wide gully. In the pitch blackness of night one could probably walk right up to the cliff edge and not realize the danger until it was too late! Which prompted Wheeljack to come up with an alarm system, with sensors positioned on the edge of the cliffs to warn anyone of the danger; in addition to keeping the ships hidden from foreign military satellites, spy planes, and even the odd Decepticon spy or two, the Autobot inventor, along with Perceptor, had developed a giant holo-projector to cover the top of the gorge, disguising the ships and making them vanish when viewed at any angle from above; with twenty giant projectors positioned on the cliff tops running 24/7, keeping the Autobot ships under cover (literally) didn't pose many difficulties, and it did allow for the bots to go about their daily routines without having to worry about anyone catching sight of them. From where he was sitting, Danny could see the tiny paper-thin laser light of the holo-projectors image sideway's; at this angle it looked like a rainbow that had been straightened out into a flat line as various colours shimmered and refracted the suns light. It looked kind of pretty, and as he stood up to get a better look, a giant shadow loomed over him; turning round, he nearly jumped when he saw Thundercracker looking down at him with those sharp red optics of his.

"Oh hi, didn't hear you coming; you know for big guy you're really light on your feet,"

"I'm a seeker. Being light on my feet is part of my job description..." the giant blue and white seeker deadpanned in a less than pleasant tone as he sat down on the huge flat boulder next the teenager's perch. "What was all that noise about?"

"Just me and my cousin sharing some memories" the ginger replied nervously as he suddenly noticed the seeker's long curved talons.

"Cousin?"

"Oh, it's someone whose the offspring of your mum and dad's brother and/or sister, we both share the same grandparents" he explained, the seeker grunted something incoherent before heaving a heavy sigh through his vents, "You two always talk a load of nonsense?" he snorted.

"I guess it depends; with family you can always talk nonsense and you still make sense; my family's no acceptation" he offered sheepishly

"That. Makes no sense..." the ex-con regarded him with an odd look before turning serious, "But I was referring to what you were talking about before; about that day the nanites ate that building?"

"Oh that...Listen, what with all the craziness going on, I didn't get the chance to properly thank you for saving my life"

"The only reason I saved you was because I didn't want to face your guardian if you'd been left behind. You don't owe me anything" Thundercracker replied broodingly.

"Okay..." Danny dropped the subject, "But even so, Thank you" he offered, Thundercracker grumbled as he rolled his optics.

"Anyway, you didn't answer my question"

"About what?"

"Why do you talk such nonsense of being scared when evidently you're not? That makes no sense"

"Yeah, I know..." Danny sighed, "...I'm still trying to figure that one out"

"What's there to figure out? As far as I saw you didn't run or hide, you got on with the rest of the mission and succeeded. Nothing complicated about it" the seeker shrugged

"I know but-, it's complicated for me..." Danny hesitated, Thundercracker glanced down at him, but when he didn't reply the seeker asked; "...What's a 'Glas Wheal'?"

The teen hesitated, but the look in his optics told him he demanded to know, and so reluctantly he obliged, "...It's an old abandoned tin mine near where I live" his expression turned sour "When I was 9 some guys from school convinced me to come take a look at the place with them, saying it would be fun to see who had the most balls in going down as far as they could, and stupidly I agreed. When we climbed down to the bottom of the mine's shaft they beat me up, tied me to a rock, and shot me with a BB-gun while filming the whole thing; thought it would score them some brownie points with the 'in-clique', as well as get a sick kick out of it...Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, one of the support beams gave out and there was a cave-in; I didn't get buried thank god, but I was trapped behind a wall of rock. I could hear the guys on the other side and they were all panicking thinking I was dead; I tried calling out but they didn't hear me...Or? Didn't want to hear me? Either way, when they realized they could be blamed for 'killing' me, they all agreed to head home and forget about it, and if anyone asked I simply ran away from home...I couldn't believe it, I was gonna be left to die, and no one would know I was there...I'd never been so scared in my life; and for a very, very, very long and painful moment, I actually thought 'this is it, this is how I'm gonna die'..." his eyes glazed over in a spaced-out look of dread as the atavism of childhood fear sent a cold shiver up his spine.

"Obviously not; so how did you get out?" The seeker raised an optic ridge.

"My cousins know me too well..." Danny smirked in irony, "When Tom saw me heading off with them he knew something was up so he followed us, and when he saw us go down the mine but I didn't come up, he went to get help; 2 hours later the fire service dug me out..." he sighed, before an readable look came over his eyes; "...The guys got into trouble but not as much as they should have; the video they filmed was never found, and with only Tom's word to vouch for what happened no one could determine whether it warranted Juvie or a slap on the wrist. But when they claimed they were coming back for help it threw the whole thing into chaos, and in the end they got off with a caution and community service order. I know they say the system isn't always perfect, but when it lets you down like that? It's worse than a smack in the face"

"...You knew their names"

"Eh?"

"...You knew their names, why don't you call them by their designations?"

"Cuz they don't deserve it?" Danny replied sarcastically, "...You know what the worst thing was? Even after all this time they still haven't apologized to me for what happened; and worst still, they regarded it as something like a badge of honor for dodging the worst of what the law could throw at them. Every time I see or pass them in the street I'm reminded of the worst day of my life, and they _know_ they can get away with whatever they do cuz they know how to play the police" he frowned

"Why not just go and knock some helms? When the law fails that doesn't mean you can't seek justice, just go and punish them yourself" Thundercracker reasoned crassly.

"As tempting as that is, what I would have in mind for those pricks would constitute as murder; and that's kinda frowned upon here in the western world...But even if I did want to get back at them regardless of the law, I couldn't"

"Why?"

"...Because..." Danny thought for a moment, "...That's not who I am; for all the nasty evil thoughts I could harbour towards those sick pricks, Revenge, just doesn't feel right. I know that's a real contradiction considering what I said 5 minutes ago. But now that I think about it; for all the anger and retribution, just knowing I could hurt my family by ignoring all I've been taught about what's right and wrong, would hurt me even more"

"Some would say that's a well-rehearsed excuse for not having enough brass-bearings to do what needs to be done; but after what you went through no one can hold that to you" the seeker broodingly replied

"Is that your way of saying I'm brave?"

"It's my analogy of how incredible it is that you humans have to complicate your lives with meaningless emotional deadweight when the obvious is staring you in the face plates and you can't acknowledge what you really are"

"Which is?"

"A bipolar aporia of contradiction: You claim to be making great strides in the way of progress towards the future, and yet you can't go more than 10 years at time without having to go to war with a neighboring fraction of some kind over resources, political standing or religious beliefs; and the level of stupidity alone is enough to make even my processor ache"

"*Pfft!* Like the Deception's were any better! You're former boss wanted to wipe us out and build a new army; who's being contradicting there? If your gonna be holding our 'less-than-greatest' moments in history against us I don't see why we can't take a good look at your former fraction's track record" Danny stated matter-of-factly.

"Fair enough, I won't argue there" Thundercracker waved off, "But still, your species has got a _long_ way to go before it can be considered equal in anyone's optics"

"Optimus treats us as equals, he knows us humans ain't perfect, but it's not like he's perfect either. Everyone has their flaws"

"Some far, far more than others; although Primus only knows we tried to stick it to him on more than one occasion. To bring him down to our level to prove he was no better than his brother...and even in the end we learnt the hard way that could, and _will_ never happen" the seeker bitterly seethed.

"Why not?" the ginger teen gazed up at him in deep curiosity, after an uncomfortable moment of silence passed the seeker sighed "...Because he _believes_... he actually has something worth fighting for, and even with our homeworld dead and our only means of salvation destroyed, he _still_ believes that something good can come of all this"

"Can't it? I mean, you've got a home here on Earth now, practically free bed and board; surely that's better than drifting through space with nothing?"

"...Maybe..." the seeker replied softly as he cast his gaze over the gorge and watched the crows gliding on the wind. Together they sat there in silence, letting the subject go, until Danny's mind pondered on something else, "...You said that you didn't want to face D if you'd left me behind; what did you mean by that?" he asked offhand; the huge seeker slowly turned to gaze down at him with a hard fixed look in his optics. Slowly, he stood up and stepped towards the edge, gesturing for him to follow. Apprehensive of the steep vertical drop, Danny gingerly approached the cliff edge and nervously leaned down to look to where the seeker was pointing at, or rather, who he was point to.

"...You don't know who Deathshot is, do you?"

"Sure I do he's my guardian" Danny stated as he caught a glimpse of said bot at the bottom of the gorge, chatting with Bumblebee and Cliffjumper.

"Now he is, but he wasn't always the kindly gentle-bot you and your 'cousins' know now...There was once a time when he was so feared, any seeker who was stationed near the Regulon system, Baltorii system and the Flux Prai'x Nebula refused to fly, for fear of being picked off by him" Thundercracker explained.

"So? He's a sniper; there must have been thousands of other Autobots snipers as good as him, even Bluestreak's a crack shot"

"There were thousands, but none like him; none that could take a shot from up in orbit thousands of feet above the ground. He brought entire battles to a standstill, could take the shots no one else could, and even the best seekers got picked off while hunting him. Every time a con fell into his cross-hairs they were dead, and no matter how fast the rest of them scattered they all got picked off in rapid succession. By the end of the second age of the war over 3 quarters of the original seeker armada had fallen to 'the death shot'...No one ever saw him, no one was able to get within range of him, and no one _ever_ wanted to try; knowing the inevitable would come if they did. If he holds his guardianship duties in as much high regard as he does his sniping, he's _not_ someone I want for an enemy"

"But he knows you saved my life, I mean we talked about it when we got to the airbase and he's cool with you and Skywarp"

"Only because he knows he can out-fly and out-gun us in the blink of an optic shutter...But being in his dept is the _only_ small comfort that will allow me to recharge a little easier at night. You don't owe me for saving your life because your guardian has already obliged" Thundercracker stated

"Okay, but why are you telling me all this? I thought you didn't like us humans?"

"That was before I saw you all in action against the Dark Spark; and I have to admit, I don't think Megatron could've thought of a way to defeat that thing-" the seeker replied as he sat back down on his boulder, and Danny hastily ran back to his perch on the rock next to his wings. "Knowing him, he would've blasted it as many times as possible and hopped that he hit something vital"

"So, are you saying we're not so bad after all?" the ginger-headed teen smiled, the seeker glanced at him with a deadpan look and heaved a heavy sigh through his vents, "...You're not pathetic or weak, I'll give you that; and maybe you've got more processor-power than some would let on".

"Meh, it's a start" the teen shrugged

"I doubt it" Thundercracker deadpanned as he sat in silence for a while, before Danny asked, "...So? What scares you?"

"What?"

"Well, I told you what scared me the most; Prid pro quo for the sake of curiosity, and I promise I won't tell anyone...What is it that scares you besides my guardian?" he asked in nervous curiosity, the sight of those talons still sent a cold chill through him at the prospect of being shredded to pieces by them. For the longest moment Thundercracker studied him intently, searching for any sign of deceit; but with the boy more afraid than ballsy, he concluded maybe this once would be alright (and if it would make him go away, the better). Leaning back against the boulder, he softly sighed as his gaze drifted up into the sky, watching the clouds roll by.

"...I haven't known fear in the longest time; at least, not the kind that sends shivers up one's spinal unit, I've done far too much dirty work and way too much deceit to be afraid of anything or anyone that comes looking for a fight...But I suppose, the one thing that haunted me all these eons, was 'what if?'"

"What if?"

"What if I had made the wrong choice? ...There were times that question would creep up on me like a shadow and wouldn't let me rest; and it wasn't until I started to question the logic in Megatron's plans that I slowly began to realize just how wrong we had been all this time, and the depth of what we'd done...It's not easy, having to admit to so many mistakes"

"But if you had doubts, why did you join in the first place?"

"...Things were very different before the war; Cybertron's social and political systems were based on a defined hierarchy, everyone knew their place, but over time the feudalism-type structure of society had bred much arrogance and crassness among the upper classes, and as a result there was an outcry for idealists who fought for equality, to speak on behalf of the people...It didn't take Megatron long to figure out a way to work the social unrest to his advantage"

"Recruitment?"

"Through his gift of weaving fantasies with words he soon gathered many followers, promising a better world upon which all cybertronians were equals...It wasn't until he ordered the massacre of the femmes and sparklings in the foundries that everyone realized what they'd let themselves in for; but no one could turn back or run, they were already in too deep, and they found out the hard way that Megatron _didn't_ approve of any form of doubt upon his agenda; it was simple, anyone who spoke out was dead in a sparkbeat. No acceptations"

"You didn't realize that until it was too late?" Danny raised an eyebrow

"Not in the beginning. I was a very different mech back then, as far as I was concerned it was war, and there's always casualties in war; back then the loss of the femmes and sparklings were most regrettable, but a necessary sacrifice for the good of our future, and in war nothing is sacred, not even the lives of the innocent..." the seeker stated, before he hesitated slightly, and an unreadable look flitted through his optics, "...But as the years waned and the war dragged on, getting worse and worse with each age, the whole thing began to split two ways. On the one wing there those who had been fighting so hard for so long that they spiralled down into the pit and were lost to their own insanity, and then there were doubts that started to hang over the rest of us, and the question of what we were truly fighting for began to grow more and more unavoidable. Until, in the wake of the battle of Tyger Pax it came to a head; in the chaos that followed many deserted, taking off to seek refuge and sanctuary among the stars, some defected, though I don't know how many were successful, and then there were those that stayed, because they either didn't have the courage, tried to convince their friends to join them, or they didn't know any other way...Skywarp and I both thought Starscream wasn't totally beyond our help; as wingmates we'd known each other since before the war, and I was riding on the hope that friendship still meant something to him...evidently not..." he sighed with a bitter frown.

"...He'd lost it too?"

"More than we thought; the day Megatron offlined in Mission City, something happened, something in his processor snapped, and we didn't realize the depth of his insanity until he set the Nemesis's defenses to self-destruct..." he growled in self-loathing, "...All this time, I should've dragged him away from Tyger Pax, deserted, or better yet defected there and then"

"Then why didn't you?"

Thundercracker blinked, an uncomfortable and uneasy silence passed as the giant seeker stared down at the teen; for a moment he wasn't sure how to answer that (or if he wanted to answer that?), as he racked his thoughts for a plausible reply, turning his mind inwards as he tried to figure out why this question hadn't occurred to him before? In a strange way, he realized something that hadn't clicked in place before, and yet, could be the reason for his long-standing doubts. Sitting up a little straighter, he met the boy's gaze.

"...Because...I think, in the back of my mind; some part of me knew it wasn't time" he replied honestly

"Time?"

"To approach the Autobots...At one point in the fight, right after the cube had been jettisoned into space, I glanced down at what was left of the battle and caught sight of Prime looking right up at me. The look in his optics told me he would've killed me without hesitation if I had come within range of his cannons; and for a long time after that battle I saw many Autobots with that same look in their optics. But it's only now that I realize it wasn't just me that they hated, it was what _we_, the Decepticons had forced them to do that had embittered them to us...I can't blame them for that, and that's why they'll never accept us; wearing _this_ is never going wipe away thousands years of hatred and needless loss of life" he pointed to the Autobot insignia above his cockpit.

"Maybe not, but you made a good enough start; you helped us beat the Dark Spark, that counts for something"

"To you perhaps, but it's hardly worthy of any praise"

"Didn't you just hear me? You helped save _a whole world_ from being made into hell on earth, literally; that counts for _a lot!_ And I think Prime would take that into consideration, D certainly did"

"...You are so naive" the seeker grumbled broodingly as he leaned back against his rock.

"Maybe, it wouldn't be the first time that's been said about me" the boy shrugged

"It's not just former cons like me that are beyond forgiveness; it works both ways, and the Autobots are hardly the injured party! Prime claims that 'freedom is the right of all sentient beings', well what about us? We Decepticons may have made bad choices all around but we're sentient beings too, what consideration was shown to us when our brothers tried to defect in the height of the war? What 'mercy' was shown when some of us tried to escape Megatron's wrath? And now-...being on this world, the considerations of another species being put before our own just goes to show the level of their arrogance"

"Hey, not to sound like a parrot and repeating myself, but I though you said we're okay?"

"I'm not questioning your species" the seeker clarified, "...I'm simply stating the fact that the Autobots are not as good as they'd like to think" he sighed

"Not as good? Or unwilling to admit they were no better than you, or that you were no worse than them?"

"What?"

"Look, I'm just saying; in war everything goes to hell. I know, half my family are in the services and, or have served in one of the great theatres of war in one capacity or another; we've had extensive experience in the realities of fighting and killing our fellow man. There's an old saying: war's not about who's right, it's about who's left, and when you blast each other to hell for so long the question of innocence goes right out the window forget what your fighting over, so I don't know where you got that idea from, but why can't you both just admit that no matter what either of you say or do, there's no point in trying to prove who's right because you're all that's left of your people and your world...I'm sorry but-, how much worse does it have to get? The Autobot's weren't being arrogant in Mission city, they just-, don't believe it's right that we should have to suffer for _their _species arrogance" Danny explained; slightly surprised at himself for thinking all that up. For a moment Thundercracker looked at him slightly nonplussed, unsure what to think of as he processed what the boy just said; as his CPU considered the reason and logic and tried to find something of a resolve in it, he found the more he thought about it, the more questions it threw up, until eventually he slumped back against the rock deep in thought, "...I don't know..." he blurted out offhand.

"Just think about it okay? You never know, something might come of it?"

"And how can _you_ be sure of that?" the seeker glanced at him sceptically

"Morri said the same thing to D once, back when he was still working through the worst of his demons; I didn't believe he'd listened at the time, but obviously he did..." Danny smiled offhand; Thundercracker frowned in bemusement but didn't probe the subject any further.

"...Even if we were to attempt to put aside our differences and aim for a peaceful future; such a notion won't be a reality for long time yet; and that's just with Prime's bots"

"What do you mean?"

"...The 9..." the seeker heaved a heavy sigh and he rubbed his forehead in weariness, "...Of all the Autobots in Prime's ranks none were so feared, dreaded, hated, loathed or despised; and that was just from their fellow bots. More dangerous than the Dinobots and Wreakers combined, their reputation has been the stuff of legends, and not the good kind either"

"Well I know D said they were the Autobot equivalent of Black-ops?" Danny offered

"They were more than that; they were the true horror behind so many of the 'unaccounted', more questionable events of the war. At one point Megatron was so impressed by their lack of morality that he considered recruiting them; but when they wiped out three whole battalions of his finest Terrorcons and dumped their lifeless shells at the gates of Kaon, he sent five hundred of his gladiatorial warriors to wipe them out, when they turned up dead the next day he took no action. That was the first, and only time Megatron ever took direct action against them"

Danny stared up at him as a small cold chill ran up his spine; the image of Deathshot going completely postal flashed through the front of his mind, but only for a brief second as he pushed it aside and stayed on track; "...Seriously?" he asked

"I would say 'would I lie to you?', but considering I've given up the art of deception, that's kind of redundant now..." the seeker deadpanned before he turned serious again, "-But my point is, of all the Autobots they were the ones that harboured the most hatred for the Decepticons; their merciless tactics and apathetic tendencies were well known, even the most feared Autobot warriors gave them a wide birth. They've been in stasis for the last 25 thousand years, as far as they'll be concerned the war is still going on, and the idea of defected ex-cons isn't going to be accepted lightly..." he frowned as he got up off the boulder and approached the edge of the cliff again, casting his gaze down at the Black Solstus, "...I don't know what good Prime thinks he can salvage from the aftermath of the war, but if the 9 are in the mix, any hope we have a peaceful future is now well and truly gone"

"How do you know that for sure?"

"...Because I've lived long enough and buried far too many of my wingmates to not know any different...Trust me, no good will come of this"

"Well, I think everyone else might beg to differ, Morri being no acceptation"

"Yes, she certainly has a way with words..." Thundercracker thought aloud, "I have to admit, I'm amazed at the rapport she and Ashley have built with the drones, and with Ravage no less. Of all the Decepticons that could be capable of 'turning over a new leaf', _he_ was certainly the very least I'd expect"

"Well I guess it goes to show, people change over time, even giant robotic ones"

"...Perhaps, But I'm not holding my thrusters"

"You mean holding your breath?"

"Whatever; either way, when they come out of stasis I don't care what duties Prime hands me, I'll be keeping my head down for a while" the seeker replied as he readied himself to jump, "...And by the way; You say that you don't choose to seek revenge? But sometimes, revenge has a way of seeking you, and when you feel you have no other option but to accept; I'd be interested to see what you do...Later meat-sack " he waved as he leaped off the cliff, transformed in midair and jetted up off into the sky; leaving Danny where he stood. As he watched the seeker disappear over the horizon, he climbed down and slowly started making his way to the entrance of the base.

Once he was some distance away, Optimus stepped out from where he'd been standing behind some of the stacked up boulders and watched as the Briggs redhead grew smaller and smaller the further away he walked. Stroking his chin plate with one hand, he pondered on what they had discussed, and as he cast his radiant blue optics skyward, catching a glimpse of the seeker as he disappeared among the clouds; his mind started ticking over as he too walked away into the desert, alone with his thoughts, and with some heavy questions to consider.

* * *

R&R Please!


	2. Chp 2: Stuck In THe Middle

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.

* * *

TOMORROW IS FOREVER COMING

Chapter 2: Stuck In The Middle

"...So? ...Are you worried?" Morri asked as she placed a hand on Ashley's huge clawed hand

"Not really, it's not like its brain cancer or anything like that" he shrugged, "It's just-, Ratchet wasn't exactly 'specific' when we finished; he just went into the back room and told me to shoo. Kinda rude" he replied

"He'd said he'll share the results once he's compiled all the data; don't forget we've only had ten days to make a complete assessment and most of that was done with the bare minimum of medical scanners and equipment" Deathshot reminded him.

"How can I forget?" Ashley deadpanned, "Still, the changing colour-thing was cool..." he smiled as he watched his tail flit back and forth in anticipation.

The last three days plus one week had been a strange but busy time for Ashley, not least because of his newly acquired 'hybrid cyber-bio suit', as it had come to be known. For the remainder of their time in the 'other universe' Ratchet had kept him confined to Omega Supreme's med-bay and ran every possible test to determine just what the new suit was, what Ravage had programmed into it, and what it was doing now. Over the course of the tests it became apparent that the suit was a living organism in its own right, and at the same time an extension of Ashley's own human mind and form; and it was clear that it was adjusting to its human 'host' in its own way. For the first three days after his 'transformation' the suit had been a pale pewter grey colour, the typical natural colouration of a newly sparked protoform, but over the fourth and fifth day the suit slowly turned a dark, almost black shade of charcoal with a very slight purple-ish indigo iridescence. Over the week he also grew a full two feet taller, his 'muscles' had bulked up too, becoming broader and stronger, his arms and tail had become slightly longer and he could alternate between his own voice and the deep gruff electronic basso voice he'd had when he first awoken in the suit. In addition the suit had also heightened his senses; much more acute than before, he could now hear the tiniest noises from long distances away, could smell every scent in the air, could see the tiniest movements and details from a long way off, and even see in the dark with that peculiar 'third eye' above his forehead; he could taste every detail of every flavour in his food and even sense the tiniest vibrations, even a heartbeat by just laying his hand on someone's chest; all of which opened up a whole new world for the twelve year old, as his new sensory input increased his perception of his surroundings practically ten-fold. The suit's cybernetic abilities manifested themselves too; as he found that the tip of his tail wasn't just a bladed weapon, it also contained an interface 'stinger' that could be plugged into any hardware port, allowing Ashley (much to his delight) to practically do whatever he wanted on a computer with nothing more than a thought. But strangely, while he could control a computer and issue commands to the system, he couldn't upload anything nor download data, and after some more testing it became apparent that the suit didn't possess the same kind of processor that a cybertronian had, nor was it like an organic brain either. As the suit's dual biological and technological nature began to take shape, it was evident this was starting to go into uncharted territory, and no one could be certain what would happen next. As soon as they returned to the base Ratchet took Ashley straight to the med-bay, and for three days straight he and Perceptor ran every deep-level scan and microscopic analysis imaginable, alternating between both human and cybertronian medical procedures to try and get a complete picture of the suit's cyber-biology. All of which practically bored Ashley to tears , being stuck in the med-bay for hours on end wasn't a twelve year olds idea of fun, even with Glen's comic-book collection for company the hours just dragged by at a snail's pace, and hearing the other kids enjoy their guardian's company on the other side of the door didn't help. But on the other hand, it presented the pre-teen with the opportunity to get better acquainted with handling his new senses and abilities; Ravage came to visit him every day to teach him how to cope with the increased sensory input (the lesson in ignoring someone's raw body odour was very much appreciated!) and how to interface with a computer without crashing it. Everyday his father and cousins would visit at regular intervals, and as often as they could, as helping out Wheeljack and some of the other bots decommission the DRD had taken a lot longer than anticipated. But now, with the tests finally complete, it was time to discuss what would happen from here on, and just where Ashley stood in all this. Which was why he, his father, Morri and Deathshot were now sat in Optimus Prime's office, sitting across from the boss-bot himself. The three humans sat on some wooden crates while Deathshot sat on one of the three giant office-style chairs that the bots had built for their convenience. As the humans scanned their eyes over the half tennis-court-sized desk, it felt like they were little dolls; but then, that observation pretty much applied to the whole base as half the appliances and furniture made all the humans look so small, it wasn't anything new to them, but at the same time it was still amazing. As Optimus sat with his optic's closed, deep in thought, he was suddenly stirred from his meditative musings with a Knock-knock-knock.

"Enter" he replied, the doors slid open as Ratchet stepped in, followed by Ravage who paced in and leapt up onto the desk. "Sorry we're late, we got held up" the medic grumbled as he sat himself down next to Deathshot.

"Well you're here now old friend; so, let's get started, what have you found out?" Prime asked, the humans turned round to face the medic as he sat down, placed the small stack of data-pads he'd been carrying under one arm down on the desk and arranged them in a row between Prime and the humans; pressing a button on each one, a set of holo-form images popped up from the glass-like screens and displayed a series of data-streams and images depicting Ashley's internal anatomy.

"Well? Where to start? ...I've said this a hundred times already, but this is nothing I've ever seen before" the medic scratched the side of his helm, wondering how to explain.

"A hundred and one" Ashley deadpanned in a dry tone

"Why don't you just start with the basics?" Deathshot suggested

"Good idea-" Ratchet nodded as he pointed to one data-pad, and upon pressing another bottom on the device, made the holo-form image double in size. "Well, first off..." he drew in breath, "...This hybrid cyber-bio suit is _not_ a techno-organic device, strictly speaking it's not even a suit; it doesn't have any of the typical micro-interface filaments that techno-organics possess in order to maintain carbon-based tissue, nor are there _only_ cybertronian components or strictly organic components; the entire suit's format-physiology is a perfect fusion of the two. A true cyborg, neither completely cybertronian or organic, and a true hybrid cyber-bio organism that's symbiotic in nature. So I can finally say our worries about it being a possible parasite can be finally put to rest"

"That's good..." John sighed softly in relief

"But what does that mean? If it's symbiotic what's it doing for him?" Morri asked

"That's where the interesting results come in..." Ratchet replied as he pointed to another data-pad, "We found upon detailed analysis that the organism's 'development' wasn't just limited to external changes; in fact, a good portion of the internal structure had developed and grown into-, what I can only describe as an 'organically-formatted cybertronian'; take a look at this..." he pointed to the holo-form depicting Ashley's innards. It was an odd diagram; in the chest cavity were a set of big lungs, a large heart, a whole digestive system, a liver, set of six kidneys, pancreas, spleen, and all the other glands and important parts, but while they were in the right places for a typical human's anatomy, they were rearranged at slightly different angles, and there were even some organ-like structures and tissues no one recognized. Beneath the diaphragm was a round womb-like structure, within which Ashley's human body was tucked up in the fetal position, and all around it filling out the rest of the cavity were the abdominal organs; all of which were intertwined and linked together by the network of archeries and veins stemming from the heart. It was an odd thing for sure, it seemed more organic than technological, and the only parts than seemed to resemble something _like_ a computer device were small, barely the size of hazelnuts and marbles. But the entire surfaces of the organs were covered with strange patterns and markings that had a vague resemblance to printed circuit boards.

"HOLY SHIT I'M PREGANT!" Ashley exclaimed in dread

"That's _you_ ya twit!" Morri retorted

"Seriously? ..." he got up and stared at the holo-form in morbid disbelief, "...No shit ...So? Why don't I look preggers?" he looked down at his belly.

"Because you're mass is wide enough that you can be contained within the central trunk of your body without being in the abdomen like a human foetus" the medic replied

"You didn't show him this?" Deathshot asked incredulously

"Forgive me it slipped my processor..." Ratchet pinched the bridge of his nose plates, "As you can see, Ashley's encased within this structure here, which seems to function much the same way as a human womb, there's an umbilical cord that's attached itself to the site of his original umbilical cord and has fused to his liver and digestive system, directly feeding him all the fluids and nutrients he requires, and at the same time disposing of all his body's waste. But this by far is the most fascinating find..." he pointed an odd-looking round starfish-like organ that sat at the bottom of the 'womb'; it was slightly bloated in the middle with its arms covered in wart-like bumps and fleshy spines, and the umbilical cord steaming out from the top, into the 'womb' and into Ashley's abdomen.

"What the heck is that?" John stared at the holo-form in morbid curiosity.

"Believe it or not; it's an organic energon processor" Ratchet sighed

"What?"

"Eh?"

"Come again?"

"Actually, it's a three-in-one 'stomach-liver-kidney' sort of organ that is capable of producing energon from the chemical energy derived from your organic fuel intake. The food and water you swallow goes into this part here where it gets digested normally and is then directed into the central chamber here; where it's both processed to become energon and processed into nutrients. We've yet to confirm the precise mechanism but we believe it's done by breaking the chemical energy down to its elemental components; namely oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, lithium and sodium, all of which are the key elements used in the production of energon. The elements are then directed into this collection of smaller 'glands' here; where through a series of chemical reactions are slowly turned into organic energon, which are then filtered through these kidney-like structures here before being directed to the body's cardiovascular system and being distributed to the rest of the organism's systems. Essentially its energon-blood; and careful analysis of the fluid has revealed that the energon particles are contained within protective silicone-based protein-shells that prevent them from destroying the more carbon-based tissues and being absorbed too quickly into the circuit-based tissues. It has none of the synthetic additives or fast reacting atomic-energy matrix's that all other varieties of energon have, and the chemical matrix ratios are a perfect match to the elemental and chemical profiles of the food and fluids consumed; it's also combined with a silicon-carbon based plasma that contains this..." he brought up an enhanced microscopic image of the said blood, "-Glucose, amino acids, fatty acids, both synthetic and organic white cells and other immune-defence based cells, and nanites; analysing this wasn't easy, and determining the morphology of the fluid's cell composition in direct relation to the organic energon partials has been a pain in the diodes to say the least, the only conclusion is that it's a perfect fusion of the two, so we named it 'hemogon'"

"Organic energon completely derived from organic fuel?" Optimus mused aloud as he studied the holo-form, "Such an energy source is very difficult to create by any mechanized means"

"And yet, this organism has not only done it, but created an organ specifically for the job" Ravage interjected.

"But wait a sec, energon's dangerous to humans, that stuff burns like acid when it hits our skin, so what the hell will it do if it gets into him?" Morri pointed out

"That's another thing the nanites seemed to have anticipated; the hemogon is confined only to the organism itself, the original nanites that created the organism in the first place are largely responsible for the immune system, nervous system and bio-cybernetic interface, all of which come together here in the 'womb'-" Ratchet highlighted the womb on the holo-form image, depicting a up-close picture of Ashley's human body, everyone noticed the double row of silver tendril-like wires protruding from his spinal cord, from the top all the way down to the hips, and a small collection of spider-web-like tendrils steaming out from the base of his head, bunching together through the lining of the womb to form a secondary 'spinal cord' (completely encased within its own vertebrae) that lead up to the head, and the 'brain'. "...The 'womb's' tissue-structure is comprised of several layers which act as a nutrient filter, allowing only the carbon-based nutrients from the hemogon to pass through into the womb and be absorbed through the skin via this membrane covering his whole body; the fluid within the womb is similar to amniotic fluid, with a concoction of highly aggressive white cells, silicone-base enzymes adapted specifically for breaking down both organic and metal-based poisons, and carbon-based bio-nanites that are specifically adapted for breaking down any stray energon particles that find their way in, I've checked, double checked and triple checked, there's not a single particle of energon, organic or otherwise inside his true body"

"What about regular energon? Can this 'energon-producing stomach' handle it?" Deathshot asked

"No, chemical analysis of the organ has shown it can only process organic fuel and fluids; energon will have the same effect as it does on a regular humans, it'll burn right through tissue like battery acid and cause severe internal bleeding and haemorrhaging of the other organs, in other words, death within less than ten minutes"

"Okay-" Ashley gulped, "Well, I don't think I wanted to try the stuff anyway"

"What about the spinal and brain interfaces? Any possible worries there?" the Autobot sniper asked

"Thus far not that we've discovered, but like I said this is nothing we've ever seen before, and the organism's 'processor-brain' is no acceptation..." the medic brought up another diagram on one of the other data-pads, this time depicting the strange nervous system shared between Ashley and his 'symbiote'. "As you can all see, Ashley's entire spinal unit, including his brain is connected to the organism via these neural tissues, which bunch together here and run straight up to the 'brain'. It's more of a micro-computer than an organic nervous system control center; the layout of the interface suggests that it's a two-way connection with Ashley's brain being the 'master brain' and the organism's being the 'slave brain'; the interface connects primarily to Ashley's cerebellum with only a handful of connections linked to the areas of his brain responsible for his cognitive abilities, so primarily its Ashley that's in control of both bodies, the organism's brain is much more primitive in terms of cognition and self awareness, it appears to be a 'modified cerebellum' type of structure with a CPU integrated into its bio-components, with only a few small lobes to process sensory information and relate them to the appropriate emotional and mental responses. We tested it extensively and it appears to have no conscious awareness or even a basic-line instinct except that of Ashley's, if it wasn't connected to him it would just be a primitive mindless creature, no more than a starfish or a lump of moss"

"Nice" Ashley grimaced, "But what's with the tail plug-in? I can control computers but not upload or download anything? What's up with that?"

"I confess I was stumped on that one too, the brain may be more mechanical in nature but it doesn't appear to have the kind of memory-storage capacity as our CPU's, nor the processing capabilities to upload or download data; the brain cells are structured like circuit boards but their laid out like the neural pathways in a human brain. The only conclusion we found was that this brain was created specifically for control of motor skills and automated functions, kinaesthesia and maintaining the bodies systems and micro function. The _only_ part that _might_ possibly have any semblance of a 'higher brain function' is this tiny lobe right at the top here, be we've yet to confirm whether this is so" Ratchet pointed to the diagram.

"Looks more like a shark's brain; what're those two lobes at the back there?" Morri pointed to the image

"Those had us stumped too; we couldn't confirm what they do or what their for, they're both completely dormant and haven't shown any sign of activity. But we will be keeping a close optic on them"

"Is there any chance of the organism's 'brain' being able to grow further? To develop a consciousness of its own?" Prime asked with a serious look in his optics.

"We've already considered that scenario, and if any further growth continues, the present state of the organism's brain would allow for a safe surgical removal, least Ashley would encounter the possible problem of 'hearing voices'"

"Holy crap! I hadn't considered that!" Ashley suddenly realized, "_Will_ it continue to grow?"

"I don't know, I can't say at this point, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of further changes taking place just yet" Ratchet replied

"Why's that? Is there something else?" John asked, concern starting to well up from the pit of his stomach.

"Well? ..." The medic hesitated briefly before highlighting another holo-form, this time depicting a series of images of various cells and nanites, "...When I first scanned the organism after Ashley had been transformed, I knew the nanites had started mimicking his own cellular structure so as to better interface with his nervous system as they bonded to him; but after studying the nanites 'changes', I think it's gone beyond the point of simple mimicry. The nanites that were responsible for the transformation had a secondary systems-programme, to continue through mitosis and carry on their functions as an advanced interface-system; the first generation nanites are now completely dead and gone, but like any good organism the second generation evolved, and are now very different to their predecessors. These images were taken over the last ten days, and as you can see the nanites have been constantly changing the protein structure of the organism's cells, arranging and rearranging the morphology of the organic to synthetic ratio of the interface, and this..." he pointed to one particular image.

"Their latching onto his DNA?" Morri gasped in astonishment.

"In a way, but not permanently" Ratchet stated

"Wait, what does that mean?" Ashley demanded as a pang of worry flitted through the front of his mind.

"And what do you mean by 'not permanently'?" Morri interjected

"These new nanites have bonded to the nucleus of every cell in Ashley's true body; they've latched onto the chromosomes, and thus far we don't know what their up to..." he pointed to another image, "...So far, all they've been doing is despatching unidentified proteins with synthetic RNA complexes to attach to certain points on the chromosomes, they stay there for several hours doing who knows what, during that time the RNA complexes change and the nanites then call them back. It's been repeating this procedure non-stop for the last ten days, I've done a thorough analysis of Ashley's genetic profile based on the blood tests I took when we first got to the Toshima Airbase and as far as I can tell nothing's been altered or taken away...so far"

An uneasy settled upon the group for a moment before John spoke up.

"...If something happens...and Ashley 'changes' to the point it puts his health in danger; is there anything that can be done?" he asked, the underlining nervousness in his voice didn't escape everyone's notice.

"I also considered that scenario, and if the nanites start to change Ashley's DNA to the point his human genome would be damaged beyond repair, we would have to catch it as early as possible. Fortunately I created this for just such a task-" Ratchet pointed to a small black flat disk attached to the underside of Ashley's left arm near his armpit, "Its a custom-made DNA analyser, it scans the cellular matrix of the hemogon every ten minutes and transmits the data directly to Teletran-1; if any changes to Ashley's DNA sequence exceed by 000.1%, Teletran will alert me immediately"

"That's all well and good but how would we treat something like damaged DNA?" Deathshot asked

"I believe it would be possible to reverse this anomaly; after some experiments with blood samples and running some simulations we could create an artificial nanite-base retro virus that could carry a holistic payload of Ashley's original DNA and fuse it to the damaged areas while at the same time destroy the second generation nanites before they do any further harm. Cloning human blood won't be a problem for me and Perceptor, and I'll take blood samples from both John and his spark-mate in case we need to rebuild the damaged DNA from scratch. I'll have to do further testing to make sure, but the theory is highly plausible..." Ratchet paused a moment as he drew in another breath and directed his gaze down at Ashley, "...Listen, we must also consider the possibility that if the organism, for whatever reason, turns on your true body and starts to do some serious damage; to have it completely removed"

"You said that before" Ashley shrugged

"I know I did, but this time we have a valid reason to be concerned; which is why two days ago Optimus asked the Pentagon if they could provide their military's finest surgeons to handle the surgical aspects, and to plan a procedure to safely remove the organism from your spinal unit and brain"

"Why can't you just do it? You know as much about human anatomy as any other human doctor" Ashley protested.

"Ashley, just because I downloaded the sum total of all human medical science into my CPU, it _does not_ make me a qualified human physician; knowing the science and applying it to treatment and diagnosis are two different things, and I haven't spent the last several eons patching up human battle-wounds or curing organic diseases. Plus my med-lab isn't equipped to cater for surgery on organic life-forms, if we have to remove the organism I'd rather we have a professional do it"

"Which reminds me-" Prime interrupted as he opened a drew under his desk and pulled out a small data-pad, leaned over and handed it to the medic, "Moshower had a word with the heads of the Medical corps and these were the only neural surgeons they could find at such short notice; they said that if you could notify them of your preferred choice by the end of the week it would help the paperwork go through a lot easier"

"Fine, I'll read it over later" the medic nodded as he stashed the data-pad in his subspace, "...But just so we're all clear we're _not at _that stage just yet; it doesn't hurt to be prepared for a worst-case scenario is all" he regarded everyone with a serious look.

"That's if it comes to that; but if we don't know what the nanites are really doing, how can we be sure the percentage of something going wrong isn't fifty-fifty or any higher or lower than we've already speculated?" Morri pointed out

"That I don't know, and for the sake of doing this right I'd rather not speculate until we can get more answers. But it's not just these nanites that have attached themselves to the chromosomes that concerns me..." Ratchet brought up another micro-image, "...When I ran a micro-structural analysis of the organism's formatting codes, or should I say Ravage's format codes, I came across this..."

"...What is that?" the panther stared at the image intently, his tail flicking in slight alarm.

"I don't know, but over the last ten days it's been fusing itself to your codes"

"What is it?" Deathshot asked as he frowned at the holo-image.

"Near as I can guess it's a multi-spectral pro-formatting system of some kind that the nanites created from scratch, this wasn't part of their predecessor's original programming and certainly doesn't have any of the characteristic data-payloads that specialized pro-formatting systems have, or the telltale 'glitch-holes' that denote the presence of a processor's central matrix-complex or a hardware-based magnetic virus-carrier. It's got the same kind of write-up as a software fusion programme, but its only confided to the area of the organism's brain where the formatting codes are based, it's not branched out or integrated into the organism's other cyber-bio systems; it's just concentrated on the codes, and this..." he brought up another stream of data, "...is the resulting code from the fusion"

"What is that?" Optimus frowned as he leaned across the desk for a closer look.

"I don't, know, but that's no computer code I've ever seen before; I don't even know how read it let alone what it actually says, or what it means? I don't know if there's a connection but it started around the same time the nanites started attaching themselves to the chromosomes, and the fusion cycle is running at the same rate the nanites are doing their 'thing' in the DNA"

"Strange, but how is this possible? When I linked to the nanites I only accessed their core programming control, I bypassed the central systems filters and cancelled the original transformation programme, replacing it with a new one" Ravage stated firmly

"Can you repeat the command issue?" Optimus asked, Ravage's optic widened and his whole body went stiff and he stared off into empty space as he recited in an emotionless electronic computerized monotone, **: Decepticon access code accepted: priority alpha one: reformatting parameters engaged: recalibrating code to 24567.0009.3456200.0l.0.2346405: format design code recalibrated to 54739200129.973..3584: host organism is alpha-level control: bio-systems of host organism to be maintained at 100%: all functions to be maintained at 100%: all transformation protocols to be deleted upon completion: standard Decepticon personality parameters deleted: access to Decepticon matrix grid deleted: all interface controls to be recalibrated to fully automated systems: bio-cybernetic interface and supporting systems are to be maintained at 100%: command reformat complete: disengage-**. When it was over, he shook his head and seemed to snap back to reality.

"You basically told the nanites to not change or alter him no matter what?" Ratchet stared at the panther nonplussed

"That's what I said didn't I?" he flicked his ear in mild annoyance.

"No it's just-, why didn't you tell me that sooner! You could've saved us a whole load of grief!"

"You're the expert here; I just assumed you'd catch on eventually. In any case, we have a little better understanding of the situation" Ravage purred

"Which is?" Prime raised an optic ridge

"...I told the nanites to keep the boy's human form intact no matter what, and whatever their doing now, they're doing so to stick to that order. No harm will come to _him_, but whatever arises as a result is the issue we will have to be prepared for. Not to mention the collateral that could, and _will_ stem from this"

"What'd you mean?" asked Ashley

"He means the implications that this new organism will bring if it becomes widely known..."Optimus explained as he cast his gaze down at the lad, "Ashley, you are now something very unique, while still retaining your true human form you are, for all intents and purposes, also part cybertronian now. The ethical, moral, and social implications of that fact will present many complications, not least on the part of your people"

"The Pentagon" Morri realized

"On the one hand, if he's cybertronian he'll be placed under the same restrictions and regulations as the rest of the Autobots, but if he's deemed to be human too, it'll open up the door for the US government, or someone behind closed doors to try and take advantage of him" John frowned

"But he's a British citizen, surly they can't do anything while his passport and official records say he belongs to Great Britain? Aren't there diplomatic standards to be considered here?"

"On a top secret US military base that's on American soil? And out of the way of public attention?" John pointed out; Morri sighed in frustration and slumped back in her chair.

"It's not just the humans we have to consider; this 'unique one-of-a-kind specimen' will also appeal to 'other' less favourable individuals" Ravage pointed out cryptically.

"The Decepticons" Optimus frowned

"As soon as they find out that a human-cybertronian hybrid exists, the idea of restoring life to Cybertron is going to take on a much more twisted meaning; and it'll be the Spark Eater all over again" the panther added

"That. Doesn't even bare thinking about" Morri shot him a look.

"You think? It was bad enough what that thing did in the 'other universe'; if a whole new can of worms opens up because of me-..." Ashley shuddered, "...I don't even want to _try_ and imagine the harm it could do"

"Which is why we will take precautions; and keep what we have discussed in this office to ourselves. The only other individuals that are privy to this information are Perceptor, your cousins of course, and my brothers" Ravage stated

"Can they be trusted?" Ratchet eyed the panther sceptically.

"They may be 'excitable' at times but they know not to take this lightly; if the question of trust is ever called into doubt their reliability is above reproach, they may dabble in half-truths and omission to the others but _never_ to me. You have my word" Ravage stated seriously.

"What about the surgeon? If we do encounter the worst-case scenario he'll have to know the details of the tests if he's gonna be performing surgery" Morri pointed out

"That's why I asked Moshower if he could include the candidate's full psychological profiles. Whoever we chose, we must be sure they can be trusted; not just confidentially, but personally as well" Optimus replied

"So? Basically we're keeping _everyone_ outta the loop on this? Even the rest of the guys?" Ashley realized in wide-eyed surprise, the bots didn't reply as they exchanged awkward glances. "But-, what about Bee? Blue or Trailbreaker? Or any of the others? After everything we all went through together they don't deserve to be trusted?!" the twelve year-old exclaimed in stunned surprise.

"It's not a question of trust youngling, they've served under my command for many years and I know first-hand the depth of their loyalty is above any form of reproach. Bumblebee and the others are aware of your situation and are most sympathetic to you" Prime stated

"Prime's bots are not the ones in doubt Ashley..."Deathshot sighed as an unreadable look came over his one optic, "...It's my old division I'm concerned about"

"What? You're saying they're not legit?" he asked with a sceptical look.

"Let's just say, some of them are not big fans of organics; and for the time being, I'd rather they be kept out of this" the sniper replied with a concerned frown.

"The Autobots most feared black-ops division joining a base that has nine Decepticon defectors and _you're_ worried about _this _being their main prejudice of choice?" the panther flicked an ear in surprise, "Trust me, it's going to be a little tense around here for a good long while yet, and I'm not just referring to the two sets of twins taking turns in 'dick-measuring'" he frowned.

"In any case, this data will have great implications if it's made known to the wrong individuals, which is why I asked Teletran to place a level-1 encryption lock on the data concerning the results of the tests; only Perceptor, Prime and myself have access to them, and anyone who attempts to look at them without authorization will be immediately locked out of the system" Ratchet stated.

"Wait, I don't get it-" Ashley interrupted, "How's being a human-cybertronian hybrid a bad thing? I'd have thought it would be like a bridge between our species, bringing us closer together and all that"

"As optimistic as that sounds, an analogy such as that could have the potential to spiral into something dangerous; what you must understand youngling is that you're _true_ human body is still intact and the nanites have utilized your cellular profile to better interface with you, so technically you're not a true hybrid in the 'breeding' sense of the word, but merely by default of your formatting. How people perceive the relationship between the organism and you is open to much interpretation, and while some may see it a miracle of nature and science combined, others may see it a mistake" Deathshot explained.

"Prejudice against organics and techno-organics alike isn't new among us cybertronians, and the Autobots are no acceptation; sadly there are those who, while upholding the values of our ideals, don't have to like them" Prime added with a regretful sigh.

"Fortunately such individuals are few and far between, but-, well? As you humans like say: 'every barrel has its bad apples'" Ratchet offered

"I can appreciate that" John nodded in agreement

"Me too, but there's one other thing I've not been sure about" Ashley added

"And that is?" Deathshot asked

"If I'm part cybertronian, does that mean I'm an Autobot now?" he asked in slight nerviness, the bots and two other humans all glanced at one another, unsure how to answer; until Optimus propped his arms on the desk and fixed his radiant blue optics on the boy.

"...That is another issue, I've had to carefully consider..." he stated in low voice, "Ashley, for as long as anyone can remember, any sparkling that was born into the war was born to two options, either learn to defend themselves and fight, or take their chances among the stars; one had a better survival rate while the other had no guaranteed survival rate at all. In all my time as commander of the Autobots I _never_ once asked a single youngling to join us, to take up arms and fight for us; when Bumblebee and Bluestreak came into my care I tried to take them as far away from the war as possible, to give them the best possible chance of survival. But more importantly, so they could have the chance to be younglings and the grow up as normal as possible; for years both I and Elita protected them and kept the war at a distance, but in the end nothing was out of Megatron's reach, and the war found its way to us. Though I never gave them the option of joining the Autobots, they still went off to train and eventually became soldiers in my ranks; for all the pride I have in them, I am more ashamed in knowing that the war was their inheritance, and that while the choice of how they choose to live their lives was always theirs, their options were either survival or death. No child should ever have to be brought up just to survive; they should be allowed to live, to have a childhood free from fear, imprisonment and the threat of death, and I will be damned to the deepest reaches of the pit before I order _any_ child to take up arms and fight in our name. And at the end of the day, for all the ideals and virtues we represent, the name of Autobot is just an army fraction, and the last time I checked the legal age for joining the British military is 16, and that's with parental consent, 17 here in America, and that's with a high school diploma"

"So that's a no?" Ashley cautiously asked

"I'm sorry youngling, but my decision is final, and not up for debate; I greatly appreciate what you and the others have done for us and you have proven more than capable of handling yourselves in a dangerous situation, but to actually commission you as an Autobot would be unethically sound, as it would go against your guardian's duty of protection"

"Oh, I hadn't considered that-" the twelve year-old glanced up at his guardian, "Sorry mate", "Nothing to apologize for" the sniper assured him with a small smile.

"Listen, just so as there's no doubt on the subject; I wouldn't have felt comfortable with letting you join either, and _not_ because you're not cable, anything but" John interjected

"Then why?"

"...Because you're my son" the marine replied in a soft voice, "No parent should _ever_ have to bury their child; god-forbid if that ever happened..."

As he studied the worried and concerned look in his father's eyes, a sense of something resembling shame panged at his heart, and Ashley quietly nodded in understanding; "...Okay, fair enough-" he changed the subject, "But rewinding back to the subject of keeping this on the down-low; _what exactly_ _are_ we gonna tell everyone? In case you hadn't noticed I'm not exactly all nuts and bolts, more like Guyver and the sphinx did the do and this is the bastard-child" he gestured to himself

"Like I said, the results of the tests will remain classified; those are the details _none_ of us are to discuss with _anyone_ outside this office. You can tell them the suit is a techno-organic device that's bonded to you, but that's it, and _don't_ go into details; if anyone asks just say you didn't understand all the 'medical jargon', understand?" Ratchet asserted

"I'll have to tell Danny and Tom, their gonna need to know this" Morri interjected

"Fine, but make sure to exercise discretion" Prime stated

"What's gonna happen now? I'm still human-ish but I'm not all cybertronian; so where does that leave me?" Ashley asked

"Somewhat in the middle I'm afraid, for the time being I will confer with Major Lennox on where NEST stands on this, if the military feels they should be involved in some capacity we will have to tread carefully. We will share _some_ of the information displayed here, but _not_ all. _Especially_ not the format codes" Optimus stated

"I don't think anybody'll be able to get their head round that, I couldn't make sense of it anymore than you could" John offered

"It's not just the fact that the organism's changing its format codes, it's _whose _codes they were in the first place that'll be likely to cause a stir with NEST's superiors" replied Deathshot

"_My_ format coding" Ravage growled in annoyance.

"The alien/Autobot Cooperation Act requires that we share intelligence and help provide protection from the Decepticons; if NEST's superiors find out that the organism was created to Decepticon specs, they could perceive Ashley as a liability, maybe even a possible threat" Ratchet gravely added

"Whoa-wait a sec!" the twelve year old panicked, "-No one's seriously gonna believe I upped-and defected to the cons will they?!"

"They can't possibly think that! He's not even a real Transformer let alone a conceivable threat!" Morri protested, to which Ashley nodded in agreement.

"They _will_ if they find out!" the panther snapped at her, before directing his one optic up to Prime, "-You may be willing to lie by omission to protect the boy but sooner or later someone is going to realize something's up. Those humans will not care for his status as a fellow human if they speculate that he has ties to the Decepticons, even if it's by default! The fact that I deleted the Decepticon programming from the nanites will have little or no significance to them" he seethed

"How can you be so sure? Moshower was skeptical about allowing you and the other ex-cons defect, but he eventually came to realize it wasn't a trick or farce; you genuinely didn't hold any love for the Decepticons anymore, save for your brothers and creator" Deathshot pointed out

"...True..." Ravage reluctantly nodded, "But humans don't have good or evil stamped across their foreheads; and my telepathy, for all its sharpened and refined strength, is _only_ good on a mind that is weakened, damaged or emotional compromised; someone with a strong will and hardened psyche can easily conceal their true colours, and it's not much good through a monitor either. And in case you forgot, _you're_ not the only one who can hide behind a poker face" he deadpanned.

"Granted, but my point is, not every human in the Pentagon will be out to get Ashley" the sniper retorted

"Point taken, but not _everyone _will have his best interests at spark either!" the panther retorted back

"Alright!" Ashley loudly interrupted, "I get it, not everyone's legit; so what _do _we do? Cuz I can tell you right now I ain't spending the rest of my life in the med-lab undergoing more tests and waiting for something to happen! I'll die of boredom before I die of old age!"

"And you won't-" Ratchet was quick to step in, "The DNA analyser will provide all the regular data I require without the need for further scans or tests, it has a range of over 20 miles and is transmitted on an encrypted frequency so not just anyone will be able to intercept it. I also installed an emergency jamming pulse, so the second Teletran picks up a Decepticon signal it immediately sends out a red alert to the analyzer's receiver and the signal will cut out, masking your position and thus keeping you safe"

"What about around the base?" Deathshot asked

"I am assigning you to part-time security duty so you will be with Ashley on a more available basis; he will have the same 'set-up' as Darren, if there are any 'chores' to be done he will not be working to same stringent standards as the rest of NEST" Prime stated, to which Deathshot nodded in acknowledgement.

"What about training? He still needs to learn how to responsibility control his new form, among other things" Ravage interjected

"I have no issue with you remaining his tutor; just so long as you're not 'austere' about your approach to self-defense training" Prime regarded him with a slightly skeptical look

"Please. When have I _ever _shown the boy a single slight in teaching him how to do things right? He _is_ favorite after all" the panther purred with a sly toothy grin.

"That's all well an' good, but if something happens and the results of the tests somehow get out, what'll we do?" Morri asked

"If something unforeseen happens it will fall to your guardian to protect Ashley: if anyone tries to do anything that is not in his best interests, or puts him in harm's way, I will take care of them personally" Prime assured her

"And the Decepticons? If they discover that the organism was created to their format specs they will try to claim him as their own" Deathshot pointed out

"We'll handle them as we do any other Decepticon that comes looking to cause trouble; and for the foreseeable future Ashley, you will remain within the perimeter of the base for your own protection, if you go outside you will be accompanied by one of your cousins, creator, guardian or Ravage, and you will report to Ratchet for any mandatory check-up's. Understood?" Optimus stated

"Understood" the boy nodded, "So, not that I'm bored and eager to get outta here; but have we covered everything?"

"I have one other issue to raise..." said John, "...If this series of 'changes' in the organism's systems comes to nothing, and Ashley remains like this for the rest of his life; what will happen?" he fixed his eyes up at Prime with a serious look, the kind that demanded nothing but honesty; Prime sat in silence for a long moment as he considered the question, before he replied, "...If this is how he is to remain for the rest of his life, then we will do whatever we can to ensure a good quality of life and freedom; I would say 'to grow up as normal as possible', but normal isn't a word that seems to go very far around here; so, would you settle for making the most of your childhood? And being with your family?" he looked down at Ashley

"I think that would be okay" Ashley smiled modestly, and John nodded in concurrence.

"Listen-" he changed the subject, "Why don't you two go and grab a bite to eat? Let the grown-ups talk in private for a while, I'll see you both afterwards"

"Okay" Morri replied as she and Ashley were picked up by their guardian and gently placed on the floor; the doors slid open as they stepped out, and softly shut behind them with a dull THUNK!

"...Well? That certainly put some things into perspective" Morri sighed, unsure whether to be more concerned or doubtful.

"You think?" Ashley raised an eyebrow, the vexed doubt in his voice didn't escape her notice, "...I wanna say 'what the hell could go wrong?' But somehow I know saying that's gonna tempt karma to dump a shit-load of bad luck on us...And what D said about some bots being prejudice against organics; are there really Autobots that hate us?"

"Guess we're not the only civilization in the universe to have its share of hypocritical arseholes and dickheads; but then, considering this is an alien species that's been at war with itself for god knows how long, that _really_ shouldn't surprise anyone" she grimaced.

"But what about the government? You don't really think anyone's gonna try to kidnap me, lock me up in some lab to poke, prod and dissect?" he asked in slight worry; at the end of the corridor, Morri noticed a handful of NEST troops conversing with each other. When they suddenly noticed Ashley, the looks on their faces were a near-unreadable mix between alarm, astonishment, and worry. "...I don't know..." was all Morri found she could say, "...But I pity the poor idiot who thinks he can try" she smirked. "Yeah, with these legs I could probably run rings around him at cheetah speed" he smiled as he dropped down on all fours and slowly paced alongside her. As she stroked him between the shoulders, his back arched up and a loud purr rumbled out from his throat and he responded to her touch, "Ooooh, that feels gooood!" he purred in contentment.

"It might be nice having you for a pet instead of a pest for a change" she joked, "-But I wouldn't recommend doing that around Aunt Elisa"

"Mum-" he suddenly realized as he stood back up, "...What am I gonna say? How am I gonna-" Morri reached up and placed her finger over his lips; "Stop panicking okay?" she was quick to reassure him "-You'll be fine, don't go looking to make a mountain out of a molehill, and she already knows about D so it's not gonna be a total shocker; we're just gonna have to be gentle and make sure we don't rush this, okay?" she softly spoke, removing her finger he could talk.

He inhaled a deep breath and sighed, "Okay, but seriously, I really don't know what I'm gonna say?"

"Okay..." Morri obliged, "There's a few pointers I'll share with you that got me through the worst of high-school whenever I had to give a presentation..." She started, Ashley stayed close at her side, listening intently as they slowly made their way to the canteen.

* * *

8:23pm:

"You know? I don't think I've seen a sunset like that in a long time..." Danny said offhand as he watched the evening sun light up the sky in a myriad of pinks, peaches and orange hues, turning the whole landscape a radiant hue of pink; the warm desert winds blew off the dunes and whipped across the hillsides and through the barren rocky valleys, their hollow whistling echoing across the land like restless spirits. In the distance the mountains stood in long row of jagged peaks, like a string of flint blades standing in a row that stretched from east to west, and disappeared over the horizon. Just over the hills west of the airbase's runway, the coyotes could be heard howling and yelping while high overhead a lone bald eagle soared over the gorge, surveying everything in its sight; including the small gathering of humans and one Autobot.

"Not since last summer at least; remember that evening we spent at Zennor?" Morri replied

"Oh yeah, that was a great night..." the ginger-headed teen smiled as the memory of said occasion came to mind. Carefully peering around the corner of the boulder they were standing behind, Danny sighed as he watched Deathshot sitting cross-legged on the ground with Ashley's mother and the rest of the family listening in awestruck amazement as the sniper humbly and softly spoke to them. Tom watched from nearby as John stood next to his wife, her hand gripping his tightly as she steadied herself, trying to maintain her composure and stop herself from running away.

"How's it looking?" Morri asked

"I think she's calmed down now; Uncle Mike looked like he was about to do that thing he does when he's about to have a spaz attack, and Aunt Ella and Uncle Davy-, well, I think they're still okay with D" he replied; at that moment Ashley came trotting up to them with Ravage close behind with Rumble and Frenzy riding his back.

"How're they?" he asked softly

"Just about ready I think; or as ready as they're gonna be. You okay?" Morri asked as he stood up on his hind legs and dusted off his clawed hands.

"Might as well go through with it; procrastinating's beginning to suck..." Ashley sighed, "...But for what it's worth, thanks for doing this with me" he smiled down at her, "its okay..." she smiled as she gently took his hand, and they both walked over to join their family. As they watched from behind the boulder, Ravage could sense the sudden shift in the emotional state of the human elders as they watched their nephew/son approach. His mother in particular, her mind was buzzing fiercely between shock and disbelief at seeing her son so different; an overwhelming relief at seeing him alive, and a stark streak of horror as she saw what had happened to him. As tears welled in her eyes at seeing his face, he smiled, and gazed at her with that look every child reserves only for their mother: the kind that held an unconditional love, such tenderness and affection, for the only woman that had been there since the very beginning of their life. And as her scent filled his nose, all the memories came back at once, and with them all the tears for all the happiness and sadness that came with childhood. Seeing those tears and that look, confirmed to her that this was her baby, this was her son, and she was grateful for him being alive.

As he sensed her relief and joy all bubble up at once, at the same time a much more powerful force was thrumming within her; a force more powerful than any storm or force of nature, circled around her psyche with happiness and undiminished affection. Focusing only on him, reaffirming the bond they shared as mother and son; and laying to rest all the fears and doubts that had circled her mind for the past few weeks. Ravage knew this sensation; his creator had held the exact same force deep within his own spark, hidden away from the carnage and horror of the war: he saved it only for him and his brothers, no one else was ever privy to it, and no one ever would. It was what made him so strong as a mech, why he'd kept them safe from the other, more sociopathic Decepticons, why he'd accompany them on every field-mission, and why he'd been so obedient to Megatron for so very long; he'd relive the war a thousand lifetimes over, if it meant his creations would be safe. As he watched this family welcome their offspring back into their fold, for a brief moment something hurt inside his spark; like a tiny pin pricked on the skin of his psyche, it reminded him of Soundwave, and the happy times like these that they were able to share together, however brief they were. As his brothers minds reached out to comfort him across their bond, the panther sighed heavily, and closed his mind off to the humans as he silently slipped away into the growing shadows of the oncoming twilight.

"They really do love each other, don't they?" Rumble thought aloud

"Think whatever you want of them: meat-sacks, flesh-bags, squishies; but _never_ say they don't feel or care" Ravage replied in an unreadable tone.

"Theywillbealrightnow,yes?" Frenzy jittered

"With that much love, how can they not?"

"...It's like Soundwave; he had that exact same love for us too" Rumble pondered nostalgically, and ruefully.

"...Yes he did..." the panther replied softly

"-And he was sssso proud of ussss all" Lazerbeak hissed as he and Buzzsaw softly came into land alongside them; folding up their wings and steadily paced alongside him.

"Seeing as the boy is going to be with us on a more frequent basis from now on, perhaps we should make provisions to 'accommodate' him within our little unit? He _does_ share your format codes brother; he's practically one of the family now" Buzzsaw suggested

"Only in design, he is still human at spark. And if you're referring to the mind link-" Ravage broodingly replied, "That has _not_ changed, and I intend to keep it that way, clear?"

"Transparently; but your concern over his welfare when he was transformed has now evolved beyond being simply 'buddies', there is something of a deeper friendship between you, and not just with him..." Rumble pointed out

"...The girl..." Ravage sighed

"She's impressed you, hassss ssshe not?" Lazerbeak hissed as he shot his brother a sceptical look.

"More than I thought any human could; and I'm _not _easy to impress..."He brooded, "Our time together in the astral void was brief, but on that plane of existence I saw her for what she truly was"

"Which is?"

"...An equal mind. Someone who has great potential; unlike most of the bots she and the other humans have not known the true depth of the war, haven't been tainted by it, thus their minds are not clouded by the countless eons of prejudice, arrogance, pride and blind moral decay. But _she_ in particular could be what we need if the shared hatred between our fractions is to be laid to rest once and for all. She has a sense of ethos, an understanding of what is meant to be right and what is meant to be wrong, but at the same time she's not so stringent in her conviction or beliefs that she's not willing to listen; even to those who others would deem to be far beyond redemption" Ravage brooded

"Where did thissss come from?" Lazerbeak raised an optic ridge, "Yeah, it ain't like you be so 'goody-two-wheels' all of a sudden brother? Don't tell that bleeding-spark Optimus finally got to you at last!" Rumble concurred

"Please. I'd eat his spark alive..." the panther grinned before his look turned serious again, "But, for all his blind ignorance he does make some good points; though some of us are willing to put the past behind us, other's will _still_ bespoiling for a fight, and we need someone who can step in and put us on an equal level, who isn't intimidated nor afraid to do what has to be done"

"Why doesn't Prime simply step up and handle the whole peace mongering business? He's been waiting for this practically since the fall of Cybertron" Buzzsaw brooded

"He has something in mind; but he-" the panther stopped as a whole cluster of unfamiliar minds were suddenly present on the base, trotting over to the edge of the cliffs, he gazed down into the gorge just as Prime boarded the Black Solstus and the huge ramp-door sealed shut behind him.

"...Their awake" Rumble brooded with an ominous frown.

"So it would seem..." Ravage replied darkly, as he focused his mind onto the ship, a slowly growing mix of astonishment and disbelief began to burn into anger, and all at once everything seemed to scatter as a whole range of incredulousness and arrogance began flying about like angry hornets. "...And they're commander has finally revealed herself to them..."

"This should be good" Buzzsaw grinned

"I highly doubt that brother..." Ravage brooded as telepathically watched the argument aboard the ship get out of hand, "...I _very_ highly doubt that..."

* * *

R&R Please!


	3. Chp 3: Family Secrets

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.

* * *

TOMORROW IS FOREVER COMING

Chapter 3: Family Secrets 

"...So? ...This is you're, guardian? ..."

"He is, and has been for the past two years, give or take..." Darren winced

"...And he transforms into a car too?"

"A Lincoln MKS"

"...Huh, I would've thought something like a Lamborghini would be more his type..."

"I did suggest it, but he's not flashy and likes to take the whole 'hiding in plain sight' a little more seriously than most" Darren replied as he watched the wide-eyed awestruck-stupor on his parents faces as they gazed up at Trailbreaker, unable to take their eyes off him as they tried to process the last minute or so in their minds.

This had been an awkward morning to say the least; with NEST's decision to inform the Ainslie's and Waineright's of their children's 'partnership' with the Autobots, so the enviable circus of the 'first meeting' everyone was expecting had followed without fail. In the quiet confines of one of the empty hangers, away from the hubbub and business of the rest of the base, Darren had decided to opt for the 'get-it-over-quickly' tactic, as this was going to be anything _but_ easy no matter which way he cut it; as Will stood near the doors keeping a watchful eye on the situation, he'd volunteered to help smooth things over if it became too much for the already bewildered parents, and they weren't the only ones as Trailbreaker stood where had transformed, tensely keeping as still as possible so as not to spook them further. As their faces flitted back and forth between bewilderment, astonishment and amazement, his father spoke again, as he tried to regain his composure, "...And, what did you say you do?"

Darren was about to reply when Will jumped in, "He-uh, is one of our technical analysts; he's one of the few people on the planet that can actually speak and read fluent Cybertronian, so basically he does a lot a translating, among other things" he explained.

"...You, can actually understand what he say's? You can speak alien?" his mother stared at him in disbelief.

"Actually we speak English too; we believe speaking in our native 'tongue' around humans is kinda rude" Trailbreaker piped in

"...Well that would explain the C's you got in French class-" his father thought aloud as he scratched the back of his head, to which his mother shot him a sharp glare, "What? I'm just saying!" he held up his hands in defense, "-And now that I think about it, it explains a lot of other things too" he added

"Such as?" she demanded, placing her hands square on her hips, "Well? The irregular report cards for one, showing up in a chauffeur-driven car, what school employs chauffeurs to drive their pupils home?! Plus the bills for the hot-waxes, the parts for the custom-made GPS system? And having the car parked out on the front drive? Every time our son came home where did _you_ see the driver go? Cuz I certainly didn't see anyone else get outta the driver's side!"

She blinked; staring off into space as she suddenly realized what he was referring to, she snapped her head round to face Darren, "You've been driving while under-age?" she exclaimed.

"Actually-" Trailbreaker interjected, "We come equipped with standard holo-projectors, so as to appear normal in public; even in this current modern age the sight of a vehicle driving itself is still a strange sight to many humans". Here, this one's mine-" he activated his holo-projector , the parents jumped when the still image of a forty-something human male flickered before them; "-Though in truth I really should upgrade him for something a little more 'inconspicuous'" the bot smiled nervously, the look of further disbelief on their faces told him they didn't approve.

"Oh great, that's nice; my son's been running around town in an alien vehicle with a hologram driver that screams pedo-bear" she sarcastically replied

"Okay, Honey listen-" Darren's father tried to step in, "No you listen Pete!" she snapped, "Our son's been running around town with a god-damn alien car while working for some government black-ops group as a techy?! And you think that's _okay_?!"

"With all due respect mom-" Darren tried to interject, "No! You're grounded!" she snapped angrily, "WHAT! What the hell did I do?!" he protested in shock. "Oh I don't know? Skipping school for 2 whole years for a start, hacking into the Pentagon, of all places! Getting conscripted while underage, and on top of all that falling into a worm-hole and winding up in god-knows where for over a month! You were supposed to be camping up in Kings Canyon for only 2 weeks!"

"And he would've been, but-"

"-And you! What the hell possessed you creeps to approach my son with a job offer while he was still in school? Do you have any idea how hard we worked to find him a good school and keep him there? The hours and money we poured into making sure he has the best possible start in life. We just started looking at college applications when you're so called 'talent scouts' showed up outta the blue and spoon-fed us all that bullshit about choosing him for their 'school for the gifted'! What the hell gives you the right to use a child as a means to your own ends? I know how you 'top-secret-military' types work, and I know you _never_ care for anything but keeping the public in dark on things like this!" she pointed to Trailbreaker; with her anger seething over, Will threw his hands up and decided to hell with the courteous approach, as this woman was not sparing anyone.

"Okay, for starters, we're well aware of your son being underage Mrs Ainslie and he's _not _conscripted, he's a civilian who's under an 'unofficial' contract with us, and we do pay him for his troubles" the Major huffed

"Pay? How much?" Mr Ainsley demanded

"About 5000$ after taxes" Darren replied

"5000? But-, where the hell does it all go?"

"Into a private Swiss bank account that's held in my name; plus, cuz I'm good at numbers I also dabble in the stock market making anywhere from about 50 to 200k; a little excessive I know, but it was enough to pay off the mortgage and cover the medical bills for when you went in for your appendectomy last year" he looked at his father.

"...You-...You were the anonymous benefactor that picked up those bills?" his mother stared at him in disbelief, her anger now dropped to zero.

"Yeah, and the repair bills for the leak in the roof, the down-payment for the new car and the tab for the new home-security system; as well as a lot of other stuff, so don't say I haven't been looking out for you guys. I've been looking out for you and everyone else these past two years..." he retorted, before inhaling a deep breath to calm his nerves, "...Yes I admit when I first started working for NEST I thought I'd died and gone to techy-nirvana, it was a pretty sweet set-up and I wasn't willing to trade it for anything else...But then last month, I fell through a worm-hole, and ended up in place that was far from home and was in a shit-loada trouble. Me and my friends met new some cool new friends, and together we saved a whole world from going extinct...But more importantly, I realized what was really important, and the depth of what my responsibilities were; I realized this wasn't just a lucky break, it was an opportunity to do some real good protecting everyone from a serious threat. Yeah I know I've lied, I've had to, and not because of being threatened with spending time in Juvi; I've lied because if you were to know about Trailbreaker and the other bots, it woulda put you at risk: you, dad, Aunt Lorie, Uncle Will and everyone else. Before, I was willing to take the truth to my grave, but now? ...I don't know, it just didn't feel right, and in a way I think NEST did me a favor" he hesitated

"Damn right they did-" his mother sighed, dropping her gaze for brief moment as she considered her words, and met his eyes with a neutral look, "...I'm glad that you've-, learnt what your responsibilities are; and I'm proud that you've cared so much to have been looking after us in your own way...But it doesn't excuse the fact that you've been out of school for the last 2 years, whether you like it or not you've still gotta have an education before you step out into the world" she pointed out, to which Darren couldn't help but smile in a sarcastic kind of way; frowning in confusion, his parents listened as he replied; "...With all due respect mom, I've not only _already _'stepped out' into the world I've stepped under it..." His agitation started to rise, "I've seen things that are both amazing and terrifying; I've seen the things that scare grown men and make them run for their lives screaming like little girls. I've seen so much in my 2 years at NEST, but over this last month I helped stop a whole world from being sent straight to hell with nothing by my laptop and my gut-instinct to guide me...I've stared down into the abyss, and when it stared back I didn't blink; I know the world isn't nice at times, it's _anything but_ nice. It's hard, its complicated, it's damn unfair at times and it takes no prisoners, it means having to put in a lotta hours to make ends meet, it means having to put up with the douche bag who gets a bigger slice of the cake for hardly raising a finger while you've worked your butt off, it means having to put up with the biggest and saddest ironies of society and feeling like your only one with an actual functioning brain, it means having more heart than the guy who walks past a homeless kid in the street and yet he's happy to spend his cash on a hooker or new Roles, it means having more conscience than the idiots that blindly and stupidly rant their gripes about things they don't even know about but think they know plenty of regardless. It means having to justify your place in the world when those who pick on you for your looks, tastes and trends think their above everyone else because they believe they're the beautiful people. It means having the endurance and stamina to commit to your responsibilities and see them through to the end not matter what it takes, it means having the nerve and guts to stand up for what you believe is right and not letting anyone else tell you differently no matter how hard they put you down. And above all else, it means having to put up with the fact that no matter what you do or what you say-...life _sucks_; but you suck it in and get on with it anyway, cuz all you ever really _can_ do is just get on with it..."

An uneasy silence fell over the hanger as Darren calmed himself down, and his parents stood staring at him in astonishment; Trailbreaker and Will both felt like they were stuck between a rock and an awkward place as they glanced back and forth between them, not wholly sure what to say as they both realized this had gotten way too personal to handle. "Oh! Uh? Energon's low, I better go and refuel-" Trailbreaker excused himself hastily, "Actually I'm feelin' kinda peckish myself, better go grab some coffee" Will added as he quickly followed the bot out of the hanger, leaving the family of three alone.

"...Look..." Darren sighed, somewhat emotionally exhausted from his rant, "...I'm not angry at you guys, after what I've been through I don't think I can _ever_ be angry at you again; I've learnt some hard shit this past month and the one guy who's _always _been there to help me through it is Trailbreaker...He's not just my guardian, he's my buddy, my best friend, my first car, and when I'm with him, it's like nothing else matters; just being with a guy who doesn't care what you are is a rare thing, and in a world where something like the internet is part of civilization on every level and we're practically allotted our rank in society based on our materialistic values and looks, that's a pretty special thing. And of all the things you guys can yell at me for, having to justify my friendship to the coolest, most amazing guy on the planet is seriously not on; you can ground me for being outta school, working for the government or even moonlighting as a stock trader, but don't _ever_ think you can use Trailbreaker against me, or threaten to never let me see him again...Cuz after what I've been through..." He fought back the tears that threaten to well up in his eyes, "...I don't know how I could _ever_ live my life without him..." he sobbed.

His parents glanced at each other, as a dreadful pang of regret shot through his mother's heart. Completely taken aback, a thousand thoughts rushed through her head all at once as she tried to make sense of what her son had just told them, and what he was telling them from the heart. Trying to find the right words as she fought back her own tears, she opened her mouth, but nothing came out, until all she found she could ask was, "...Darren...do you seriously think we're that shallow? ...". He stared at her with no particular emotion, but that 'I don't know?' look was all he could offer and he turned away in a sense of feeling lost; "...I couldn't take the chance, which was another reason why I didn't wanna tell you guys in the first place. Hanging out with other 'well-meaning' hackers on the net is one thing, but when your friend's a giant transforming alien robot what the hell do you say? It's not like I could announce it over dinner one night and just expect you both to accept it, I knew it could never be that simple"

"Of course not, and we both understand that now" this father replied, trying to convey his honestly in his softened tone. Another silence followed as his mother thought about her next question, "...Did we, ever give the impression that we _wouldn't _understand? Because if that was the case I'm so sorry we ever let you believe you couldn't just come and talk to us, even about this" she sobbed as tears ran down her cheeks.

"...God I feel like an idiot-" Darren chuckled as he wiped his eyes, "Had I known that sooner I would've told you the first opportunity I had after NEST recruited me..."; he took a deep cleansing breath and straightened up as he continued, "...Look mom, dad; Will's a cool guy, he's looked out for me and the others since we all got involved in this; we may not have asked for it on purpose but we've made the best of it, and none of us intend to change our arrangement any time soon. And if it wasn't for him chances are you probably would've never heard from me; or at least not for over six months at a time"

"What do you mean?" his father frowned

"When NEST first recruited me it was meant to be the alternative to spending 6 months in Juvi for hacking into the Pentagon's 'above-classified' data-base, a way of paying off my dept to them; what I didn't anticipate was that it was meant to serve as my punishment rather than my salvation, and when the President's National Security Advisor told me I wouldn't be allowed out for fear of being a risk to national security, I freaked, especially when he told me they'd be keeping me indefinitely, probably for the rest of my natural life. When Will and Optimus both heard about it they went straight to the Pentagon and chewed their asses out; Prime threatened not to sign the alien/Autobot Cooperation Act unless NEST treat me or any other of the kids with respect and due consideration, saying that we were still kids, and as such we shouldn't be kept locked for simply _knowing_ above-classified stuff. They both trusted me with their secret, the bots trust all of us to keep their secret, and we don't intend to go back on that" he explained.

"You were gonna be locked up for the rest of your life?" his mother echoed as a cold knot began to tie around her stomach.

"This is the Pentagon mom, where black-ops outfits like NEST are concerned, they'll go to some pretty hard lengths to make sure this stay's secret"

"So why aren't we being fitted for orange jump-suits?" his father asked

"Because of Prime; I was filled in on everything that happened while we were away, and the only reason the Pentagon didn't take any action, is because basically he told them they can go screw themselves if they saw us all thrown in jail. He even threatened to have all of us moved to the base and put under the Autobots personal protection, on board Omega Supreme...Although, the only reason jail was the main option was because the President's liaison to NEST said it was cheaper than having you guys sign the NSC agreements and being paid compensation for your silence; basically he just didn't want to cough up the cash"

"This liaison, what's his name?" his mother asked

Darren blinked, a sneaking suspicion entered his mind he cautiously asked, "...If I tell you, will you promise not to plot to find him and murder him in his sleep?"

"You know I'm not one for making promises I can't keep" she offered a small smile before her expression turned unreadable again, "But seriously? I'm very tempted to smash him in the nuts for even _considering_ the notion of throwing my son in jail"

"Amen there honey" her husband grinned, to which Darren couldn't help but smile, "Besides, Trailbreaker threw a fit when he heard about it, he wasn't about to let you guys be thrown in the federal slammer either; even though you've not met properly up 'till now, he cares about you guys too"

"He does?" his father blinked in surprise

"Oh yeah, a guy with a passion for sporty motors is always welcome around here" Darren smiled, "And it never hurts your chances with the lady-bots" he joked, to which his father chuckled, and his mother simply rolled her eyes and cut her husband a look.

"Well? I suppose it could be worse" his father shrugged

"You have no idea" Darren sighed

"Okay, so if 'Trailbreaker's' your best friend and we've been 'let in' on this secret now , does this mean we're gonna have to make room for him in the garage?" his mother raised an eyebrow

"He'd be _very_ grateful; and he'll be willing to keep it clean, as well as continue to help me with my chores around the house" the teen offered

"Continue?" his mother frowned

"What's he done?"

"Well he took care of the clog in the garbage disposal unit 2 months ago, and before that he chased off that racoon that had been raiding the trash cans; a week before that he helped me keep the power on when we had that power cut, and the week before that he chased off that thief that tried to break into the house" Darren offered casually as his parents went wide-eyed again.

"That creep? That was _him_ who chased him off?!"

"Yeah, turned out he was a junkie who'd though you had some stuff that could earn him some cash to buy more crack; he was pretty high at the time so he thought Trailbreaker was an oversized black Chihuahua covered in bling, apparently. Anyway we called the police once we chased him for over 5 blocks, and they caught him quickly enough, we slipped away before they arrived and that was that"

"Whoa-" his father breathed in surprise, "Guess we don't need that new security system after all"

"Actually, we do..." Darren sighed, the hint of slight uncertainly in his voice didn't escape his parent's notice, "For 2 reasons; firstly and for the main reason; the Decepticons are still out there and if they discover my connection to NEST they could use you guys or me to get at the Autobots, and I won't allow that. Which is why, when the system was first installed I tweaked it and made additional room for a prototype energon detector, so that if we get any 'unwelcome visitors' that are parked outside the house, the system will send a red-alert to the central hub here at the base and the Autobots will be dispatched right away...But secondly, to keep an eye out for anyone else who wants to try their luck stealing our stuff"

"Well that's reassuring, but after that creep got caught and arrested wouldn't that have sent a message to all the other creepers and junkies looking to score some quick bucks?" his father pointed out.

"You'd think, (that's if the drugs hadn't completely melted their brains) but not when it comes to junkies who's main pusher is Eddy D" Darren replied

His mother gasped at the mention of the name, "Eddy D?"

"Yeah, and I'll give you 3 guesses who gave him our address"

"...Oh my god" his father pressed his hand to his forehead

"Max..." his mother sighed, "...What's she gotten herself into now?"

"At the moment nothing that would show up on the cop's radar, but I think she's starting to slip back into her old habits again" Darren explained

"And you know this how?"

"Mom I'm a hacker remember? Not to brag but I can practically get into anywhere I want on the planet, and practically _do_ whatever I want...Since she and Chelsea first came to stay with Uncle Will and Aunt Lorie I've been keeping tabs on them to make sure they didn't get into trouble again. But about a year ago Max started getting wise to her probation officer; she started skipping her regular 'check-ups', skipping school, not showing up at home, sometimes she was out all night, and about 4 months ago the CCTV-security grid system started spotting her frequenting the red light and 'little china' districts of Tranquillity, with Eddy D and her old gang. I emailed Detective Fowler and he said he'd promise to check it out and try to talk with her. Before she gets into trouble again"

"...Why didn't Will say anything?"

"...Because..." Darren hesitated, "...Things have gotten worse at home with them-" he reached into his back pocket and produced a small folded letter, handing it to his mother, she took the letter and read it over, "I hacked Max's laptop, and this is why Uncle Will's been so quiet about it..." he added. His parents gasped at the contents of the letter, "...This-...this can't be true" his father breathed as he turned pale.

"...She wouldn't do this; she couldn't _possibly _do something this!" his mother exclaimed in horror.

"She won't, not while I've got her laptop's systems hooked up to my sneak-a-peek spy system. I got this literally the day we were meant to go camping; the system forwarded this to my laptop while I had it off in the morning, but when the DRD sucked us in and all that craziness kicked off I didn't get to check my emails until a few days later, and with no way to contact home I couldn't reach you guys. As soon as we got back to the base I called Detective Fowler to warn him; hopefully he'll have had a word with her by now"

"...She's been getting away with everything because of _this_...What the hell can we do?"

"...I don't know dad, but if she doesn't realize what she's getting herself into, going back to Juvi might not an option anymore; if she does anything that goes beyond what she's already done, technically she could be tried as an adult this time..." Darren replied gravely

"Oh god-"

"What is it mom?"

"Is it possible she knows about Trailbreaker? If she told Eddy D about our place could she have known about_ him _too?" she began to panic

"No no no mom! She doesn't know, none of the girls do; and they _can't_ know, letting you and dad in on my secret is one thing but if they find out about the Autobots it'll be totally anarchy, that and I'll never hear the end of it from any of them!"

"Ah geez that's a good point. We'll have to work out a system for keeping Trailbreaker hidden and at the same working around the family"

"We've already got that angle covered dad; I've babysat Violet and Lizzy enough times to perfect the whole 'hiding-the-giant-alien-robot-without-looking-suspicious' routine, and believe me, if you can successfully hide something from _them_, you can hide _anything_; trust me" Darren stated vehemently.

"One other thing-" his mother changed the subject, ", If, Trailbreaker's going to be living with us on a permanent basis, are you going to be paying for his gas and insurance?"

"...-He's got that covered mom" he humoured her

* * *

At the same time in the next hanger along, things didn't appear to be much different for Hailey, Becca and Becky, with Bluestreak sitting quietly on the floor and trying to look as adorable as possible; the meeting for their parents was progressing at its own rate.

"...Well, sweetie; we always knew that one day you'd be taking an interest in boys. I just didn't anticipate _this _was the kinda guy you were into" Their mother nervously breathed as he gave the blue and orange scout a wide birth.

"Oh come on mom it's not like he's a skin-head who rides around on a Harley! He's a real gentleman compared to most of the douche-bags I came across in high-school and collage! He actually treats me like a lady!" Hailey retorted in frustration.

"And let's face it, he _is_ a sweeter option compared to _some _boyfriends she's had in the past" Becca added, Hailey shot her a look but said nothing.

"Bu-but how the hell have you been able to keep him hidden all this time?"

"DUH!" the twins retorted sarcastically, "-He _transforms _into a car mom! He's kinda got the whole 'hiding in plain sight' thing covered!"

"But does he have to be a _street racing_ car?! Do you have any idea how dangerous street racing is?!" their mother exclaimed in a panic.

"Which is why I wouldn't have any other car; Blue keeps me snug and safe whenever he does over 30; and for the record I don't take part in those races, I'm not stupid! I only race with my friends and they certainly don't pull off reckless stunts that can get people killed!" Hailey stated sternly.

What about insurance? How've you been paying for that?" her father pointed out.

"Oh please, an alien robot whose body is made up of self-healing metal? He doesn't need it, and he's way more competent on the road compared to a lot of the other assholes who don't know what they're doing behind the wheel!" Becky snorted.

"Compared to the guys you meet in court dad, Baby-blue here actually cares about our safety, and that's kinda the whole ethos of being an Autobot guardian"

"'Baby-blue?' Oh my god you got a pet-name for him already!"

"MOM!"

"Alright let's just calm down a second here!-" Epps stepped in from where he'd been standing at Bluestreak's side, "...Now, Mrs Waineright" he addressed her calmly, "Bluestreak _has_ been your daughter's guardian for the past two years yes, but for a good reason"

"What? Because of some 'psycho cop car' that stalked us on the freeway? You seriously expect me to believe that?!"

"Believe it mom cuz he's still out there somewhere! And as long as Barricade's still loose and getting up to who knows what we_ won't_ be safe!-" Hailey retorted sharply, "...None of us will"

"The Decepticons pose a serious threat to our national security as a whole, and if they discover that you and the other families are connected to us they won't hesitate to use you as a means of extracting vital intel, or worse" Epps added, "While each family and their kids have their designated Autobot guardian, we can keep a lid on this, and safely out of view of the public eye"

"...Okay-" the girl's father acknowledged, calming down a little, "But what about protective custody? Or witness protection of some kind? I mean-, you guys are the military, if you're going to such lengths to conceal these-, 'aliens', surly you can take similar measures to protect our kids?"

"There _was_ an alternative NEST's Director highly recommended: an indefinite life sentence in the federal penitentiary for breach of national security..." Epps casually replied, watching the look of shock in the parent's eyes before continuing, "-But Bluestreak's boss managed to 'convince' him to have you guys sign the NSC agreements instead"

"And frankly mom, jump-suit orange just wouldn't be your colour" Becca added

"...He didn't want to pony up the money for the financial compensation, did he?" her father frowned at the NEST SIC.

"Spot on Mr Waineright"

"Please. Mr Waineright was my father; call me Jason" he huffed as he ran his hand through his hair "...What else did this 'director' highly recommend?"

"Frankly, he'd have preferred it if the kids weren't involved, period; he's somehow got it in his mind that we, that is humanity, are adequately prepared to repel any further Decepticon attacks" Epps replied

"And are we?" Mrs Waineright demanded

"Ma'am, if you saw these things in action like I have, would _you_ really trust our resources and present technological capabilities to fend off an invading force? ..." he gazed at her with a sceptical look, "Besides; what your daughter's faced in that 'other universe' was _way_ worse compared to what happened in Mission City; and all throughout the whole ordeal they displayed a level a courage, resourcefulness, resilience, determination and commitment that's becoming of any civilian. Believe me, we wouldn't have made home without them..."

Silence

"...Um? Could you guys give us some privacy?" Hailey asked

"Sure thing" Bluestreak nodded as he got up and left the hanger, "I'll be right outside" Epps added as he followed the gunner out, and the Autobot closed the doors behind him.

"...How-, did it come to this?" their mother blurted out softly, still in somewhat of a confused stupor

"Come to what mom?" Hailey asked concerningly

"For the last 2 years you've changed so much, now I know why...The change in clothes, the moodiness, giving up your cheer-leading, and now-, coming back from a 'parallel universe' of some kind-" she broke down into a fit of sobs, "...Oh god where did I screw this up?!"

"What?! Mom how the hell is your fault?-" Hailey rushed to wrap her arms around her mother.

"Sweetie what're you talking about? Your not to blame for any of this" her husband wrapped his arms around her too; pulling up one of the old metal folding chairs from the corner of the hanger, Becca and Becky directed her to the seat as she flopped down, the strength in her legs all but left her.

"-No I am! I should've known, I should've-"

"Done what? Talk me out of it? ..." Hailey asked, her mother snapped her gaze up, and met her daughters bright blue eyes, those eyes that always held such a bright and bubbly happiness, were now different; grown up in a way, but in an unfamiliar sense, and she didn't know if it was just her daughter's maturity, or something else entirely. She just didn't know what to think, let alone try to comprehend all_ this_; kneeling down in front of her, holder her hands in hers, Hailey held her gaze as she sighed and stroked her mother's fingers.

"Don't you _ever _think that this is your fault, you and dad are not to blame and nether are we; and the truth is, I've been different for a very long time now, way before Blue ever came onto the scene..." she explained softly as the twins and her father listened in. "...During high-school, I had a revelation; that being one of the popular kids wasn't awesome, if anything it was as far from awesome as you could get. Proving yourself to get accepted in the first place is one thing, but trying to get out is way worse, and for so long I felt trapped; by the cheerleaders, the jocks, the other cliques. Everyone around me just wouldn't let me live down the fact that I _wanted _to be different, that I wanted to be my own person and to do what I wanted without being criticized for it. But no matter where I turned I just couldn't find way out. That 'altercation' I had with Sophie Murphy at the start of my sophomore year was bad, that incident between Lionel Richardson and the Sanderson twins was embarrassing, but that fight I had with Marcy Peters over Bella Ricardo's boyfriend was just terrible. And in the end, no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't escape it; and on the night of my senior prom it all came to a head...I ran out just as they were announcing the prom king and queen. I ran outta the school, down the street; and by the time I came to my senses and stopped crying I realized I'd ran into the bad part of town..." she paused to take another breath, her stayed fixated on her daughter's expression, unable to register anything else and she continued to listen,

"...Needless to say the sight of a girl in her prom dress isn't exactly inconspicuous, there was a park nearby so I ducked in there, and decided to call you or dad and say that my date dumped me there...At least, that's the excuse I told you; now please try not to freak out: but just I pulled my cell-phone out, this little creep came up to me with a knife and told me hand my bag over. I gave him the bag, but he smacked it outta my hand and pushed the blade to my throat. I panicked, but before I could scream this homeless guy came up from behind, picked the guy up by his neck and belt and threw him into the bushes, and hands me back my bag. I thanked him, and asked if I could do anything to repay him; he said he wanted a coffee, but that maybe I needed it more than him: at that point I realized my mascara must've looked a real mess after crying so much...Anyway he took me to this little place he knew on the corner street and we got talking; I told him about what happened, _all_ of what happened, and how it led me to winding up in that part of town...He didn't say much about himself or the low down of his life-woes, but I got the impression he'd had it way worse than me; saying how he'd regretted making some very bad choices in life, and how those choices hurt his family and friends...He told me I was way smarter than most kids my age, and that'd I made the right choice in quitting the 'superficial life' while I was ahead...There was something he said, that even now, I can still remember like I heard it yesterday: 'No one gossips about other people's secret virtues'...I don't know why, but something about that made something 'click' inside of me, and in an enigmatic way that only _now_ I've finally began to understand, I realized he was right. I may not have been the ideal 'high-school hotty' by most teenager's standards, but unlike the rest of them I actually broke away from the stereotypes and made something for myself, it may not have been much at the time, but it was _I_ wanted..." Hailey paused, noticing that her mother's tears had dried up, and how there seemed to be a sense of relief trying to work its way out; with a reassuring smile, she continued: "...Mom, I wasn't 'changing' because I was rebelling or anything like that; if anything all the action of this past month has reaffirmed for me that I _did_ make the right choice, and I feel so much better for it".

Another moment of silence passed as her mother tried to process all she had heard; until finally a relieved smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and heavy sigh escaped her breath, as if she'd breathed out all the anxiety of the past quarter hour. "...I'm so proud of you..."she breathed in a soft hashed voice, before a near-unreadable look came over her fair face, and her eyes seemed to glaze over, "...For so long-, ...I was so, worried I made the same mistakes my own mother did; that somehow, our lifestyle, _my_ lifestyle made you no different from the other 'debutante Barbie's' that my so called 'friends' like to boast about so constantly, and that it was my own fault for not teaching you any better..." she sighed ruefully, "...So?...Darren Baxter didn't dump you in that end of town after all huh?"

"No..." Hailey shook her head, "When we finished our coffee the guy called me a cab, I thanked him and we parted ways, and thus far I haven't seen him since. I still sometimes drive through that street, hoping to catch him so I can thank him for that coffee; but I haven't found him anywhere...He didn't even tell me his name..." she thought aloud with a sense of regret in her voice.

"...Well, wherever he is, I send him my thanks" her father sighed

"...But there's one thing I don't understand" their mother frowned slightly, "...I can understand your need to work out your life decisions for yourself, that's part and part of what high-school's all about; and to some extent I can understand why you didn't come to us with this sooner. God only knows I had enough grief trying to figure out my own way in life when I was your age, and being dubious of what my parents would make of it; so I _can_ relate in a big way. But why _this_? Why the government conspiracy and having to be guarded 124/7 by a giant alien car? I mean, I know why, buy _why_?" she pleaded softly.

"...Two reasons mom: first, I _have_ seen Barricade face-to-face, and I can tell you he's one guy you don't _ever_ want to run into, you've either gotta be insane or have a death-wish to take him on; and that's just _him_, the _one_ Decepticon. I may not have been there that day in Mission City, but if just one of them is enough to terrify and cause mass hysteria, I don't wanna start imagining what a whole army of those bastards could do if they come here...But secondly, and more importantly; Bluestreak is the sweetest, honest, most sincere guy I've ever known: he doesn't make excuses, he doesn't blow me off, he doesn't treat the girls like brats, and when we're together, it's like he's the little brother we never had. For such a tall guy, he looks up to _us_ as appose to the other way around, that's the one thing I _never_ expected...This war they'd been fighting, it took so much out of them; there's a saying that goes 'war isn't about who's right it's about who's left, and Bluestreak and the Autobots _are_ all that's left: of their planet, their people, their culture, everything that was their home is gone, and they had nowhere else to go. All they have left now are their memories and each other...He didn't get to have a real childhood when he was growing up, or have many happy memories; so is it so bad to want to make someone happy after they've known so much sadness? ...We love Blue, because everyday he's with us he gives us a reason to be happy, and we give him a reason to be happy too..."

"And you gotta admit, compared to all the other possible douche-bags out there she could do way worse" Becca pointed out

"-Language sweetie" her father interjected casually

"-You know what I mean; but the point is, yeah we didn't ask Blue to crash into Mr Deale's tennis court when he first made planet-fall, but we're glad that he did. Cuz Hailey got a great BFF and we got a totally awesome-sauce babysitter, which compared to Bridget Moresby is a way better improvement on _so_ many levels" Becky deadpanned

"And it's not just us he looks after; he's been looking out for you guys too you know" Becca added

Their mother blinked, "He has?"

"Well duh?" Hailey chuckled lightly, "Didn't you hear anything we just told you? It's not just us the cons will come after if they discover our connection to NEST, they could use you and dad to get at us and the Autobots. But that's not the main reason he's cares"

"Then what?"

"...You're the people who gave birth to us; that's a big deal, and if it wasn't for you two we would never have existed" Becca replied; their parents both glanced at one another. Did he really say that? An alien being that cares so much for his friends that he's thankful to their parents for their existence? Is that how much you can love someone? How much you're truly thankful for them being in your life? The notion threw their minds for a loop, and as their mother slowly rose from her seat, a look of calm affirmation seemed to show in her eyes, and a small smile slowly tugged at her lips.

"...That's-, probably the sweetest thing I think I've ever heard" she thought aloud before straightening up and regaining her composure, "...So...you guys really love him that much?"

"...Yes we do" Hailey nodded, confident she was sure her mother now understood.

"...Well, then I suppose we'll have to make some changes"

"Changes?" the twins raised an eyebrow

"Well, if we're being let in on this little secret, we're going to have to be careful about any inconsistencies that could pop up" their father pointed out

"Oh we got that covered-" Becca assured him, "We keep Blue on speed-dial and his number's withheld so we don't have to worry about people tracing back any calls we make between us; his long range scanners give us a heads-up if anyone's coming down the street or driveway and we have a system for communicating without cell-phones, just in case anything 'unexpected' goes down"

"We're kinda well-versed in the whole 'hiding-the-alien-robot-in-plain-sight-without-looking-suspicious' routine; we got it covered...Mostly, but there are some things we're gonna have to talk about" Hailey sighed

"Well of course, if there's anything we do to help" he father reassured her.

"Well firstly, the rest of the family..." Hailey regarded them both with an unreadable glance; both parents glanced at one another, having a pretty good idea where this particular subject was now going. "Not that you're on 'good speaking terms' with both your parents anyway, but there's _no way in hell_ we can let anyone else know about Blue or the Autobots; especially not the rest of the family!" Becca addressed them

"-For starters, we need a heads up for every time Aunt Hilary decides to drop by for one of her little 'social calls'" Becky interjected

"-If Aunt Cassandra pays a visit, can she _please_ not come in the limo? It blocks the driveway every time" Becca added

"-And if Uncle Raymond comes round can you please warn us in advanced so we can sneak out the back door, it's bad enough he doesn't like kids, but he has that look in his eyes that says 'I know your secret'; and half the time we can't tell if he knows we're hiding something, or that he knows about Blue already!" Becky finished

"...It's ironic" Their mother sighed in a slightly bitter tone, "For a family that has no interest in each other's personal lives, _mine_ certainly likes to stick their noses in where they're not welcome" she grimaced

"Ditto..." their father sighed

"It's not just making sure they don't accidentally stumble into Blue at our place, its making sure we don't draw attention to ourselves in other ways, doing or saying anything that's outta place for us"

"So when we get home we're just supposed to get on with our lives and pretend this never happened?"

"That's-, pretty much the basic point mom; I know this won't be easy, and I'll understand if you don't get completely used to it, but you _have _to find a way to work with it. If any of the family find out that we've got a giant alien robot acting as our own personal bodyguard, their gonna start thinking they got carte blanche to do whatever they want; their gonna say that because we're family too we're obligated to _them_. That's not a risk we can take" Hailey pointed out.

"-Oh god..." their mother realized in horror, "...I don't even want to try and imagine-" she paused suddenly as all the worst case scenarios flashed through her mind; looking up at her daughters and husband, she straightened up with a focused look in her eyes, "...You're right, we _are_ gonna have to keep this on the down-low; I'll talk to Cassandra and Hilary, and give Raymond some reminders too. Mom and Dad won't be much of an issue, if they'd wanted to anything to do with us they would've settled things years ago" she thought aloud.

"Uh? One other thing..." Hailey winced in slight hesitation, "...Not that I wanna make an argument out of it, but what about Uncle Dylan?"

An uncomfortable silence filled the hanger as her mother gazed at her with an unreadable look, an ounce of loathing began to rise at the mention of that name; she knew Hailey meant no harm by it, and the look in her eyes told her she was genuinely concerned about it. Taking a deep calming breath, she pushed her agitation aside and replied calmly, "...If Dylan really cared about us, about anyone, he _wouldn't_ have done what he did in the first place; he's not tried to contact us since so I don't think he'll be a problem"

"He's _not_ welcome in our home, and he knows it..." their father added, the tone in his voice told them he had no desire to continue the subject.

"But what about _your_ family dad? ..." Becca looked up at him with uncertainty; her father fell silent as his own doubts began to spin around the front of his mind, and all the possible worst-case scenarios threatened to get the better of him.

"...I don't know...but I just pray my mother never finds out..." he sighed with slight agitation

* * *

R&R Please!


	4. Chp 4: Hindsight

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.

* * *

TOMORROW IS FOREVER COMING

Chapter 4: Hindsight

"You know, I'm amazed" Hot Rod thought aloud

"At what?-" Jazz smiled

"That _that _thing was an Autobot ship all this time and no one on our side ever shot it down; it's a dead-ringer for the Nemesis!"

"A mini Nemesis; but don't forget, it _does_ come equipped with full-spectrum light distorting camouflage field projectors. It could hover 3 feet above ya head and you'd _never_ know it were there until ya had a hole shot through ya aft!" the silver Pontiac chuckled

"It ain't hard to see why it could get behind enemy lines so easily: one look at that thing and Megatron wouldn't even blink twice" Glen concurred

"Yep, wouldn't even sneeze dude" Miles smiled; the others glanced at one another in bemusement, and just laughed. As the heat of the Californian sun rose the ambient temperature to sweltering levels, everyone had retreated to the cool, comfortable air-conditioned underground levels of the base, only coming above ground when it was absolutely necessary. The base itself was, for all intents and purposes, a small underground city; built during the age of the cold war when tensions between America and its Soviet counterpart were at their most tense, the base had been built for the purpose of acting as a giant underground fallout bunker, in case WW III became a reality. Built to sustain a population of over 10.000 for an approximate 10 year period; no one complained about there not being enough space, as the base seemed to stretch on forever with its giant hangers and chambers (some of which could quite possibly be big enough to hide an air-craft carrier in!), wide garages and machine shops (Which delighted Ratchet, Wheeljack and Perceptor to no end), seemingly countless rows of (human-sized) barracks, auxiliary living quarters, mess halls, and gun cages and armories huge enough to keep everyone on sight armed to the teeth, and then some. And not forgetting the giant underground road the size of a four lane highway that connected all three levels of the base together, plus the miles and miles of smaller corridors that connected all the areas, rooms and hangers together. For a place that was considered 'antique' by today's standard of military facility, everyone was astonished when the Pentagon gave the then newly formed NEST _this_ base, which was officially designated as Area 52 (which intrigued/alarmed Glen, Miles, Sam, Darren, and all the other conspiracy-obsessed humans to no end). And just as astounding was its power-supply, for it was probably the only top secret base in North America to have its own hydro-electrical dam; based two miles north of the gorge and built (in structural principle) to similar specs as the Hoover dam. The dam: or Power Facility Plant as the humans called it, rose 400 feet high up the walls of the gorge, and was 1.0010 feet long with a crest width of 30 feet; it's power plant had seven sets of giant hydro-turbines churning out over 95 million KWH annually, nowhere near as much as Hoover dam, but adequate enough for what NEST needed in the way of a basic power supply. As a result of the dam's construction, a reservoir had backed up into the deep valley that stretched for over ten miles north of the gorge; and became a welcome watering hole to the desert's many native creatures, as well as somewhere for the troops and bots to go and cool off on hottest days. The river that came out from the bottom of the power plant was diverted to a series of underground tunnels, as the entire bottom of the gorge had been drained, flattened, concreted and covered in tarmac so the base could have an additional outdoor level, which now severed as an 'open-air hanger' for the three Autobot ships. Indeed, Area 52 was a base like no other, protected by a perimeter fence that was 18 by 25 miles wide, dotted with guard towers every 3 miles; plus plenty of hills, valleys, gullies, two mountains, a lake, sheer cliffs and gorges, and thick scrub crawling with all kinds of creatures (and a couple of ex-Decepticon drones on any given night): no one would be attempting to infiltrate _this _place anytime soon. As they sat together in the shade of the Ark's main rear thrusters; Glen and Miles enjoyed their burgers and fries while Jazz and Hot Rod sat back with a couple of energon cubes, watching several teams of the Black Solstus's engineering and maintenance robots go about their work, cleaning and making basic repairs to the ship's outer hull and thrusters.

"...Primus, how many ships are there left in commission that come equipped with their own maintenance droids?" Hot Rod thought aloud before he took a large gulp from his cube.

"She's probably the only one left, I'm amazed the AI's lasted this long" Jazz sighed

"AI's? You mean those guys don't have sparks?" Glen blinked in surprise

"Nope, not a single living spark amongst them; their just for maintenance and keeping the ship in shape so the bots can concentrate on more important things. But hey, Teletran's an AI and he's a real conversationalist, maybe these guys aren't half bad, providing they got at least a level 5 communications systems installed" the first lieutenant shrugged

"And don't have any pest eradication programming" Hot Rod pointed out

"Aw damn! We'll have to check in with Majestrix on that one! Last thing we want is for one of you lil' guys to end up all crispy and flash-fried!" Jazz realized in wide-eyed alarm.

"Flash-Fried?" Glen gulped hard as he swallowed a mouth full of fries.

"Maintenance droids like those would sometimes be equipped with electro-ion dischargers to get rid of any invasive alien species that found their way aboard the ship. If you have to make an emergency landing on an unknown alien planet and you weren't sure if the local wildlife were harmless or not, you couldn't take any chances, least any kinda infestation were ta break out" the silver bot explained

"Seriously? But you dudes are made of metal, what've you gotta worry about alien germs an' stuff?" Miles raised an eyebrow in dubious disbelief.

"Eh, you'd be _amazed _what can affect metal" Hot Rod grimaced

"Yeah, there's a _whole_ range of nasty organic critters that can do anything from eat metal, corrode metal, and even use it to procreate" Jazz grimaced in dread

"Procreate?" Miles scrunched his face up in look of disbelief and dumbfounded confusion, "...How the hell would _that_ work?"

"Don't ask!" both bots shuddered in dread

"Getting back to the part about ending up all 'crispy and flash-fried'? How does the 'electro-ion discharger' work?" Glen asked cautiously

"Oh, it hits you with a blast of hyper-charged electrical energy which destroys organic matter at the subatomic level and turning you into carbon-" Hot Rod waved off casually, but the look of rising horror on Glen's face forced him to reassure him, "-But we'll make sure the maintenance droids don't have any, and if they do we'll ask Majestrix to recalibrate them to recognize earthen organic life-forms"

"Yeah..." Jazz nodded in agreement, "...Come to think of it, what else could be on that ship? Stories about the 9's secret base of operations have been the stuff of rumors and ghost stories since before I were a rookie; and to be this close, it's like lookin' Unicron in the face and wonderin' if he's hungry. Primus only knows what kinda weapons and equipment they got stashed in there"

"That's somethin' else I've been wondering about: everyone's been sayin' what a bunch' a badasses the 9 are, I mean-, I've heard about them bein' black ops but what did they do to deserve such a bad rep?" Miles asked offhand

"*sigh*. That ain't an easy question to answer kid..." Jazz sighed as he took a sip from his cube, "...When it comes to workin' behind the scenes there were plenty of black ops units back in the day: the Dinobots, the Wreakers, the Shifters; each unit specialized in their own particular 'talents' to get the job done, but the 9 were as black as blacks ops could get. Considered the best, or the worst, depending on who you asked; they played the cons at their own twisted games, and sometimes came off as being even worse than the enemy. Rumour was they did all kind's a' sick slag, specialized in psychological warfare, torture techniques to extract vital intel, and as we found out first hand, even kept their worst enemies in a spark prison. Optimus didn't take kindly to _that_ when Majestrix informed him of the grizzly details"

"Sheesh, I wouldn't have wanted to be in that meeting" Hot Rod winced

"Amen bro; and considering Majestrix was the 9's commander; one can only wonder, and dread, what she was like back when the war was at its worst. Never mind the fact that she _had_ to have known what was going on aboard her own ship...In a way, perhaps she and her twin brother had more in common than she'd like to believe" the first lieutenant speculated

"And how many other bots do you think share the same thought?" Glen pointed out

"Probably everyone...save one"

"You know, I always wondered why Prime never really spoke about his family; but then, being the brother of the universe's most evil overlord in the existence of all evil would depress anyone. But Majestrix? I know she looks like the dude, but honestly, I can't tell if she's like, that one family member no one invited to the family reunion cuz their an all-round universal jerk, or if she's just being a notorious troll who's actually an okay dudette? It's hard to tell-" Miles shrugged dubiously, "And considering the way they've been around each other these last few days, I _still_ think there's a shit loada 'issues' that needs to be resolved between them"

"Without question" Hot Rod concurred, "Being Megatron's twin sister? Who'd have thought? And considering the scandal I ain't surprised she hid away for so long"

"Ah, but let's not forget, that's not the _real_ reason she hit away in the first place" Jazz pointed out

"That's true..." Glen nodded, "Still, she's seems a little 'shady'; but if that's the product of being the Decepticon leader's twin sister then that's only common sense"

"I can defiantly see her getting up to no good, trolling Megatron would've been real a sight to see. But that dude was like, a total sociopath, and she seems more like the ice queen from hell; what in the way of 'playing the cons at their own games' would've she had to do to match up to _his_ standards? To really make an impact on him and his forces?"

"Considering the females of most species are always more deadlier than the males, I don't _even wanna guess_ at the depth of her anger; considering he tried to kill her sparklings she's had one big axe to grind for a very long time" Jazz thought aloud in slight dread, "...But now? Since she found out about what happened at Mission City, I'm slightly worried about the looks she's been giving Sam; I don't think she can make her mind up whether to thank him for killing Megatron, or kill _him_ for depriving her of the opportunity to have her revenge. And the worst part, I can't tell which she wants more?"

"Neither can I-" Elita-1 interrupted as she stepped behind the thrusters and sat down next to the humans; "But I _do_ know she's not likely to kill him, she has too much respect for her little brother to give into one moment of reckless emotional gratification; chances are she may keep him as a pet for a week, probably put him on a leash with a pink bow around his neck" she joked

"Aw man! Three words: Instant. Facebook. Legend; if that ever happens I'll need my camera!" Miles chuckled with glee

"Four words 'dude': Breach. Of. National. Security" Elita smirked, Miles deadpanned.

"Is there somethin' we don't know? Cuz you're the only one who doesn't seem fazed about your 'sister-in-law'" Jazz raised an optic ridge

"And that should be an issue because?" Elita asked in a slightly dubious tone.

"...Well? Considering how twins tend to take after each other, and considering we _all_ remember Megatron's infamous 'temper-tantrums'; I just can't help but wonder-...if..."

"If she's like her twin brother in any way? ..." Elita finished for him, the mech wanted to object, but he knew it was no use lying to her; like her spark-mate she was much too shrewd to have the steel mesh wool pulled over _her_ optics. But seeing the doubt in their eyes/optics, she offered a small reassuring smile and made herself comfy as she explained, "...I've known Majestrix Prima for many eons; in fact, I was one of her top pupils while I was training at the Iacon Autobot Academy, and later went on to serve under her command for a short time before she left to form the 9, that was where she first introduced me to Optimus...Throughout my training and commission there was much about her I came to understand, why she is who she is, and why her hatred for her twin was such that she went to great lengths to deal him so many hard blows...Did you forget what Alpha Trion showed us all in the 'other universe'?"

"...No..." Hot Rod replied in a quiet voice as the memory of said event played back in his mind, and the image of the rage upon the femme's face as she tore her brother to pieces burned a sense of dread into his thoughts, "...I can understand her hatred for him, I mean-, Primus who _wouldn't?_ And I'm not saying she's evil like him...Its just-, being so much alike, I can't help but wonder if she's incline to take her anger out much the same way he did, and if so, would it lead her to the point of madness, like it did _him?_" he asked cautiously, hoping in the pit of his pump that he wasn't saying the wrong thing; sensing his hesitation, Elita regarded the scout with a forgiving look.

"...I used to think the same thing too when I first met her; and it is true, she is a lot like Megatron in many respects. Growing up, there were many things they did together, but there was nothing that delighted them more than sneaking off to Kaon to fight in the underground gladiatorial pits; that was where they learned their fighting skills and 'battle-savvy', and both of them proved to be more than capable of handling themselves in a pit full of hellhounds and turbowolves. So it came as no surprise that at the age of 13 they were Kaon's best and most promising warriors; much to their father's displeasure when he eventually found out"

"13? They were _that _young?" Hot Rod gasped in astonishment.

"Oh yes, and it was quite the scandal when it reached the Academy; but that aside, there's wasn't anything Megatronus and Majestrix didn't do together, and where there was one the other was never far off. When they were sparklings you wouldn't have been able to tell them apart if it hadn't been for the slight differences in their armour design. But over time, despite their similarities, Majestrix proved to have more patience, diligence, and understanding than her brother; while Megatronus would always rush head-long into a battle and think on his feet, Majestrix always hung back and observed her enemy before engaging them...She was always patient, dancing around them, letting them throw the first blows and watching how they moved and what tactics they employed, and what weaknesses they left open or tried to cover up. Once she had them figured out, she _always_ knew how to bring them down...The way she fought; she made it look so beautiful..." Elita thought aloud in nostalgia.

"Well? She _does _look pretty kick-ass" Miles shrugged

"She was _always_ pretty 'kick-ass'; but what made her so lethal was her gift for reading any situation and anyone: unlike her brother she always took the extra time and effort to study what was going on around her; but more importantly she knew how to gain loyalty through trust and respect, as appose to Megatronus who demanded respect through fear and intimidation. Back then she would've been one the finest generals to graduate from the Academy, and even then I wouldn't have been surprised if she became high-commander of the Elite Guard, she certainly had all the trapping for a leader of that caliber"

"So what happened?" Glen asked

"Optimus happened..." Elita sighed, "...What I know of their earlier years has only been handed down to me through word of vocalizer here and there; but from what I understand Megatronus was jealous of his little brother when they were growing up, and even more so when the great cube decreed that he would be the next Prime. But what stunned him the most, and it must have come as a real surprise to everyone else too, was that Majestrix shielded him from the worst of her brother's taunting; she looked out for Optimus, and as they grew up she tried to include him in all they did together, including taking him to the gladiatorial pits to teach him how to fight. But Megatronus wouldn't stand for it; not just because he didn't like him, but I think he couldn't understand why Majestrix took pity on _him_...Being spark-twins she should've shared his distain and envy, but she didn't, and it must have caused more confusion and a sense of betrayal within him than anything else"

"That would make sense, but if they were spark-twins why didn't she take after him?"

"She did..." Elita explained, "While she proved to be the more prudent and reason-minded of the two, she still had his temper and his proclivity to use fear as a means of establishing dominance; but whenever it came to the subject of Optimus? ...I don't know: it was like a switch had been thrown, and she displayed this whole other side to her personality that very few had ever seen; she was protective, kind, tender, and understanding. Being what she was, and the bond she shared with Megatronus, no one could understand where this came from? Certainly not from him"

"Do you think maybe Optimus had a greater influence on her than expected?" Jazz thought aloud

"I like to believe that's the case, but if it was why didn't it 'rub off' onto Megatronus? A twin-spark bond works both ways, so why didn't he start to share the same sentiments?" Elita mused aloud

"Maybe, because even back then he was a jerk? He certainly proved to be way more than that over the eons" Hot Rod interjected

"Perhaps, if he and Majestrix weren't twins" Elita pointed out

"What's that gotta do with it?" Miles asked

"Remember what I explained about how, when cybertronian twins are sparked, their basically the same spark split down the middle, and that they empathically share the same emotions?" Jazz pointed out

"Oh I get it! You mean if Majestrix was starting to get all sweet and fluffy for her lil' brother, and ol' Megs didn't feel the same, somethin' had to be wrong with their bond!" Glen realized

"Exactly, which is what led many to believe that Megatronus's sanity was already compromised, even before he started accessing the cube's power; something had affected their bond and it was beginning to manifest itself in his displeasure for his siblings"

"How's that work?" Miles raised an eyebrow

"When it comes to spark-bonds, the energy's conveyed between the two individual sparks give way to a sense of mental harmony and reinforced sense of 'not being alone', with one calming the other and vice versa. As long as the bond isn't compromised in any way the two individuals remain relatively 'stable', and if one starts to become emotionally or mentally unstable, the other's always there to provide empathic comfort and reassurance; thus balancing the bond...I remember this one time we were in the Regulon system on a routine sweep for a bunch of seekers that had been sighted near the sixth planet; soon enough we engaged the enemy and things got pretty heated. Sideswipe got hit real bad when a seeker blindsided him and hauled his aft right outta the ship; he put up a good fight, but was in a real bad way when we finally caught up to him. He sustained heavy damage to his T-cog and spark chamber, was leakin' energon real bad, and was in deep stasis lock with half his battle-systems fried. Over the weeks Ratchet spent puttin' him back together he started to recover, but because of the damage to his spark chamber Sunny couldn't 'feel' his presence like before, and as a result he suffered a-, what we call 'spark-block trauma', kinda the cybertronian equivalent to a psychotic break that comes directly from a 'blocked' spark-bond. He tore half the ship apart and very nearly offlined several of us; it took Prime over an hour to fight and eventually beat him until he offlined from CPU concussion, and even then the sedatives Ratchet pumped into his system had lil' effect: the dude was so wound-up by the block that there was very lil' that got through ta him. It wasn't until Sides onlined a week later that he finally calmed down and began to stabilize again" Jazz explained ruefully

"I remember that; it was awful..." Hot Rod thought aloud

"Sunny was never the same after that; he became way more broody, reclusive, and refused to let his lil' brother outta his sight. Everyone understood why, and no one made an issue of it when he'd snap at us outta turn, even to Prime. It was a long while before he could fully feel Sides through their bond again, and even then he was never the quite same mech" Jazz sighed sadly

"In essence, it's part of the reason why Majestrix's relationship with Megatronus and Optimus was so complicated; over the years they grew up together they all developed different opinions on how things should be done; Optimus was always fair-minded, Megatronus always took a firm stance, but Majestrix? She was a little of both: firm when required but fair the rest of the time, she shared Optimus's opinions on equality and applying reason and understanding to even the most challenging dilemma's, but at the same time she wasn't one to shy away from applying force and power if things got heated...The subject of her spark-bond with Megatronus was never fully resolved; but the more I think about it, and looking back to the events leading up to the first attacks on Iacon; I can't help but wonder if Megatronus was always like that, and that Optimus's presence in his life was an excuse to allow his dark side to fully blossom?...With him gone, I guess none of us will ever truly know?" Elita explained ruefully.

"...Guess it doesn't matter..." Hot Rod offered in a small voice

"...What's wrong?" she asked, noticing the unreadable look in his optics.

"Nothing, its just-...hearing you call him 'Megatronus'; you make him sound like a very different mech" the orange scout sighed.

"...He _was_ a different mech, once, and that's how Optimus chooses to remember him. As the brother he once was, _not_ the monster he became..." Elita replied ruefully

"...So? What happened to Majestrix the kick-ass soon-to-be general? Did she graduate?" Miles asked

"She graduated with full honors and stayed on at the Academy for some time as a combat instructor, that was when I first met her; but after the great cube named Optimus as the next Prime, it also named her as the lord-high guardian of the foundries and overseer of all the new sparks born to Cybertron; a duty she took with enthusiasm and commitment, much to her parents delight (I guess because they believed it would put an end to her rebellious streak and gave her something productive to do). But in the run-up to the war, when the 'political situation' in Kaon was beginning to destabilize, she took a more active role in her position as lord-high guardian, and requested additional protection from the Elite Guard; shortly after, Optimus took charge of the Autobots from his father and formed the city guard, which Majestrix supported with particular interest. What Alpha Trion explained of the circumstances that transpired back then, was only part of a much more complicated picture. From all that I've come to understand between Optimus and his siblings, I will never know what really happened to make them drift apart" the femme explained

"Whoa, hold up, I thought Prime and his sister were tight?" Glen asked

"Yeah man, how'd they fall out then kiss an' make up?" Miles concurred

"They were _always_ falling out then making up. Optimus and Majestrix have always been able to be honest with each other, but they always had different views about how to command their subordinates, and what to do in different circumstances; especially when things got complicated. But after Megatronus showed his true colours things became strained between them. The attack on the Temple of Primus left her a changed femme; spark-broken, embittered, and merciless. She formed the 9 as a means to strike back at Megatron and his strongest forces, but strangely she wasn't interested in the direct approach; she specialized in wiping out his resources and support network. Gathering intel from the inside and spreading falsified data across the Soundwave's intelligence network, thus weakening the Decepticons from the inside-out"

"But that success didn't come without collateral damage" Jazz pointed out

"No. It didn't; and as the war lagged on and the reality of the combat became more than just black and white, Majestrix began to realize just how much harm her wrath had created, and the far-reaching damage it had on those around her. She chose the members of the 9 for their proficiency, tactical skills and dedication, but in her eagerness to fight her brother she overlooked the flaws in their characters, and it led to some serious controversial incidences" Elita sighed

"What kinda 'controversial incidences?'" Glen asked cautiously

"...Some I'd rather not say; and some too hard to explain..." She sighed ruefully, "But one of the most notorious incidents happened back at the turn of the third age of the war...An anonymous comm-signal had been intercepted by the Black Solstus on the far side of the Fray-Nexii system; it was a small Autobot medical unit that had come across some 200 neutral femmes and their sparklings, and about 25 Decepticon defectors hiding in an abandoned energon depot. The story was that they helped them escape the massacre on Zios-3 and were now looking to seek asylum with the Autobots. At the time the Black Solstus was the nearest ship to that system but were unable to take them aboard due to technical difficulties, so Majestrix took off to find Optimus, who at the time was in the next star system. She found him and without hesitation they took off to retrieve them; but when they reached the depot, the whole place was in flames and half-destroyed, everyone had been offlined and no survivors were ever found. Demanding to know what happened, Prime interrogated the crew of the Black Solstus face to face; they told him that the Decepticons weren't defectors at all, and that they'd set up a trap for them with the neutrals and medical unit as bait. But Prime wasn't convinced, and after Ratchet, Ironhide, Cliffjumper and Perceptor investigated the scene of the attack, they discovered that the 9_knew_ the former cons posed no danger, and had genuinely wanted to defect. In her own words the second in command said that they'd wiped them all out to 'prevent any possible threat from arising', which just _wasn't_ true. Outraged, Majestrix court-martialled several of her troops, including her second in command, and put the other collaborators on strict notice. I don't know the precise details as I wasn't present at the time, but after that Majestrix kept her subordinates on a very short leash, and the 9 went quiet for quite a long while afterwards...The last time Prime heard from Majestrix was just before they headed towards the Xoin system on 'that' mission; after that, no one ever heard from them again, and were subsequently declared MIA"

"And the rest is history" Hot Rod sighed

"Indeed...But that one incident was a serious wake-up call for Majestrix, she swore never to let anyone under her command get away with something like that ever again, and she confided in Optimus about her fears towards the prospect of what would happen if anyone took any liberties. Since she was in hiding no one aboard the ship knew her identity, and she couldn't risk putting her daughter's lives in any possible danger if they found her out" Elita explained

"_Possible _danger?" Hot Rod raised an optic ridge in disbelief

"They'd have hated her _that_ much that they'd have killed her and her kid's simply cuz she's Meg's sister?" Miles exclaimed in astonishment, "...Dude, that's seriously twisted" he grimaced

"Wait-, hold up; if Majestrix _chose_ those bots to be part of her division, why did she go for guys with _that_ much hardcore hatin'?" Jazz asked

"Because at the time she recruited them she wanted only Autobots that had the same level of hatred for Megatron as she did; she wanted bots that not only despised the cons, they had to have the same burning desire to want to wipe them out, regardless of any 'complications' that stood in the way...But over time, as the war began to shift from the balance of power to mindless insanity, she realized that in the great scheme of things nothing is as straight forward as we'd like to believe, and sometimes that which we believe to be black and white, is in actual fact several shades of grey... We may not be able to see far past our choices, but when revenge clouds your mind you can't see past _any_ choice; Majestrix learned that the hard way, and has had to come to terms with many mistakes she's made as a result of her quest for vengeance...There are times when the past comes back to haunt her, but she's strong, and has a lot more virtue and spark than she gives herself credit for...She may be Megatron's twin sister, but she's Optimus's sister too; that's one fact everyone seems to _conveniently_ overlook" Elita pointed out, to which the mech's and boys looked away in a mixed sense of shame and self-doubt.

"...So, what's she gonna do now?" Miles asked cautiously

"...I don't know..."Elita shrugged, "...With the war finally over anything's possible? But I'd like to believe that she can finally find some measure of peace in her life, and lay the ghosts of the past to rest...After all she's been through, she deserves _at least_ that much"

"...With all the craziness of the war, it's easy to lose sight of what's important in life..." Jazz mused aloud, "But, how'd you guys keep in touch all these years? Even we didn't know about her until nearly a fortnight ago"

"Optimus _is_ my spark-mate remember? ..." Elita smiled, "We may keep secrets from most individuals for the sake of our duty, but we keep no secrets from each other; and Majestrix isn't a bad 'sister-in-law', as sister-in-law's go"

"Must make for an interesting family get-together" Glen smirked

"Mmm-" Elita hummed in exasperation, ", She made such a fuss of us when Prime first told her we'd bonded; and even more so when she started liking the idea of becoming an aunt"

"Did you ever think a sparkling or two could be on the cards? It's been the longest running bet since we all first found out that you two became an item" Hot Rod asked

"The subject's come up more than once down the centuries; but we agreed to wait until the war was over, and that the risk of danger was at an absolute minimum..." she stated before leaning in closer, "-And just between you and me, even though he won't openly admitted it, he _loves _the idea of becoming a father. Every time he sees Jay-jay I can feel that sweet little flutter in his spark"

"Seriously?" Jazzed grinned wickedly, "-Oh I'm gonna _have_ to remember that"

"Daddy Prime? That'll be a real sight" Miles grinned

"Amen, and it'll be great be ta have a whole bunch'a lil' sparklings runnin' around the place; I mean just look at the effect Jay-jay's had-" Jazz gestured to Jetfire, who was on the other side of the 'open air hanger', seated on a large reinforced shipping container with Jay-jay sat on his knee with Sideswipe and Moonracer standing nearby making funny faces and baby noises, to which the little femme couldn't stop giggling at. "Jetfire's stopped complaining about his rust, the Lambo twins don't fight as often, Ratchet's not thrown as many wrenches or cursed as often as he does, and even the seekers have been on their best behaviour"

"Thundercracker and Skywarp?" Elita blinked in surprise

"Yeah? Just the other day I saw Hailey with Jay-jay in the rec room, she was showing Skywarp how to do a 'cat's cradle?' while the lil' femme was sittin' on his helm..." Jazz casually replied, "...Come to think of it, Jay-jay's been kinda drawn to the mech; she smiles and giggles every time he pass's by, and every time she's with the dude she can never get enough of him"

"Maybe it's because he's a flyer? You know? She's got wings he's got wings; maybe flyers are instinctively drawn to each other?" Glen suggested

"Oh that's nothing new-" Jazz waved off, "flyers have always been naturally drawn to other flyers the same way ground-based bots are drawn to cars as appose to planes as altmode's...Wait, he an' Cracker aren't still on cautionary notice are they?" he realized in concern.

"No it's just-...I'm surprised..." Elita blinked again, this time with a more uncertain look in her radiant optics, "...Come to think of it, those two haven't stopped surprising me since we brought them to earth"

"What were they like when you first found them? Cuz their certainly not the same Thundercracker and Skywarp _I_ remember" Hot Rod asked

"Unconscious; they're sparks were barely alight when we found them, and once finally stabilized it was two weeks before they showed any sign of recovery...Thundercracker was the first to online, and before anyone could say anything, he uttered: 'no more hate left in us, want to defect'"

"No more hate? ..." Jazz blinked in bemusement, "...He _did _say that they hadn't believed in Megatron's ideals for a long time; that the reason they couldn't defect sooner was because they tried to get Starscream to turn too"

"He told me the same thing; said he didn't care what we did with them, just as long as they didn't have to fight for the wrong reasons anymore. That-...really surprised me" Elita sighed

"You believe them?" Hot Rod asked offhand

"...Do you? ..." she asked curiously; the four males went quiet for a moment as they contemplated the question.

"...I do..." Miles peeped in, the three bots looked at him curiously as he explained, "...Our time in that 'other universe' was an experience...We were on an earth where not only were we some 40 years ahead in the future, but the humanity of that world had developed the technology to integrate computers into their minds, even transplant their brains into cybernetic bodies, turning themselves into cyborgs..." he mused aloud, "...Pretty awesome at first, but then, when you got down to the little details it turns everything you _thought_ you believed backwards; you realize the concept of being human is way more than just what's in yer body and what yer minds made up of...It takes somethin' more than just the sum of yer thoughts and memories to make you an individual, you gotta _believe_ in your humanity, otherwise, if you let the machine to take the concept and let it outdo you, what's left for the rest of the human condition?"

"That was certainly true..." Glen nodded in concurrence, "...I wonder if the Major is still listening to her ghost? If it's still whispering to her?"

"For her sake I hope it is..." Jazz replied solemnly, "...But what really struck me was how that dilemma worked both ways for us; it was one thing for you guys to have to question the definition and worth of yer humanity just to keep the situation in check. We were left to wonder if why, for so long in the course of the Allspark-wars, we didn't ever stop to consider the obvious"

"The obvious? ..." Elita raised an optic ridge

"...The only reason we never tried the diplomatic tactics is cuz we _knew _Megatron was what he was, everyone _knew _he had no room for peace or even the concept of anything like it, in this life or the next, and we all _knew_ no one else in his army would go for it is cuz he made sure that they were all as psychotic as he was, or were dumb enough that they'd follow orders without question...Or simply, that they were easy to manipulate to the point they couldn't see past any choice..." the first lieutenant explained, "...But for those who weren't completely beyond being all-out psychopaths, when reality eventually got to them and they realized this isn't what they signed up for; the obvious comes into force..."

"...People change" Miles answered for him

"And with change comes realization...You know, the more I thought about it, the more I contemplated that maybe, by ignoring the fact that not everyone is as good or as evil as we'd _like_ to believe, we sent a lot of lost sparks to their deaths by turning them away, for lack of _trying_ to understand that people do change over time, and can become either good or evil depending on their choices"

"...I don't deny you make a compelling point-" Elita sighed, ", But they've killed too many of us to be forgiven just like that, and for many of the bots on this base the idea of forgiveness is out of the question ...I'll admit their not the same seekers I remember from so long ago, but _you _of all people know better than to just forget the past and what went on between our fractions"

"Ah I'm not saying let's break out the high grade and forget all about it-" Jazz waved off before he turned serious again, ", I'm just sayin' they're different now, they ain't the same Thundercracker and Skywarp that used to go ta town on our afts; if anything their shadows of the cons they used to be. And they _did_ save our lives on more than one occasion in that other universe; and if they'd _wanted_ to betray us in any capacity they had many opportunities to do so...Besides, _you_ of all people know Prime hasn't lost hope in the cons eventually seeing the error of their ways, and with Megatron gone for good it could just be the opportunity we need to make that happen"

"...Hm, you always did know how to make a good point Jazz" the femme leader smiled thoughtfully.

"Only cuz I care sweet-spark; and _only_ for a guy like Optimus am I willin' to give those two slag-heads the benefit of the doubt. He's played it pretty close to the chest plates down the centuries but he's never let us down, and those instincts of his have _never_ been wrong" Jazz smiled

"I know..." Elita sighed, "...Even in the deepest thralls of recharge, or across the widest distances I can always sense that resolve of his, still standing firm and unbroken...There have been times he's questioned his actions, and suffered with every loss. But never once has he ever lost faith in himself, or his ideals..." she mused as her optics glazed over and her thoughts took her back to all those bad times when hope seemed to be but a distance dream; the times when trying to stay positive was practically pointless, and the end was nowhere in sight. But no matter how bad the storms were, _he_ had always been there to take on the worst of it, to keep hope alive in everyone's sparks, and to reaffirm the belief that one day, the war would finally end. "...I suppose it will be interesting to see where those two go from here, to not be fighting them is certainly a strange feeling...But then, if our new policies on accepting and accommodating defectors is going to be implementing a little more 'leniency', we're going to be having a lot more of these speculative conversations"

"True, but it'll be interesting to see who else wants to get outta the cons" Glen mused, "...Who knows? Maybe yer own worst enemy might turn out ta be a half decent drinking buddy?"

"Man; that could be a whole loada fun!" Miles laughed

"And a whole loada dents and dings as payback, for those who never quite got over their egos being bruised, and settling unsettled scores..." Jazz grinned, "...Still, it'll be interesting; I give ya that"

"Speaking of interesting, somethin' struck me the other day..." Glen mused aloud, "...You guys remember what Alpha Trion said about there being other universes that are parallel to ours? And that they have alternate versions of all of us, that all led different lives as a result of makin' different choices?"

"Yeah?" Miles replied

"Well? I got thinking...If our lives really _are_ the sum of what we choose to do, even in the worst circumstances; and for every one choice we make there's an alternative where a _different_ outcome transpired...I can't help but wonder; if, for all the right things we did in that other universe transpired the way they did cuz we all made all the _right_ choices, how many _other_ alternate universes came into being as a result of all the alternatives? ...How many bad choices _were_ there? Or _could've_ been?"

"Probably loads dude, ain't no telling how many ways that whole thing with the Spark Eater coulda gone south?" Miles replied

"But it ain't just that; the fact that there are other earths out there where every decision has already been made kinda makes it a little pointless don't ya think? ...The fact that there are so many ways we coulda been truly great or truly horrific, or anything in between, kinda invalidates the worth of our existence cuz we're only one of a whole infinite set of outcomes that followed a different set of equations. In the end, perhaps we're nothin'?" the hacker sighed offhand.

"...Perhaps to some higher life-form that lives beyond the realms of this universe, it's of no great consequence; but to us, it means everything..." Jazz smiled, "I don't know how many ways the past coulda been rewritten; but the fact that we are here now, enjoying each other's company, and not having to worry about when the next battle will come, is somethin' I'm real grateful for...I've learnt over the years that when a lil' a ray of sunshine shines on you, you never take it for granted, and you _always_ make the best of the good things in life no matter how brief or small they are; and you lil guys, are the best thing to've happen to us"

"Aw com' on don't start that mushiness, that's Sam and Mikaela's thing!" Miles waved off as his guardian ruffled his hair with his finger, "Yeah, but you know it's true bro!" the silver bot smiled

"Holy crap! That reminds me!" Glen suddenly sat upright in alarm, "-What if every bot's gonna be wanting their own human? Will we have to double up or keep it strictly singles?"

"Dude! If that happens we'll have to form our own secret club! And the only way you get in is if you got your own bot!" Miles grinned enthusiastically, and as the two humans started debating on the ins and outs of their wild idea, the three Autobots glanced at each other and shook their heads with amused smiles; listening and chuckling as they're human friends fell about themselves as the conversation became sillier and sillier. But unbeknown to them; and the other Autobots who were too preoccupied with entertaining Jay-jay; Majestrix Prima watched and listened from the top of the gorge, standing on the edge of the cliff that overlooked the Ark's rear thrusters.

"...Hm..." she hummed quietly with a satisfied grin, and turned to head for the base's western entrance.

'...Indeed, it _will_ be interesting...' she thought to herself.

* * *

R&R Please!


	5. Chp 5: It Takes Something Special

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.

* * *

TOMORROW IS FOREVER COMING

Chapter 5: It Takes Something Special...

"You know? That latch on the gate needs to be oiled"

"...Mm-hmm"

"Plus the porch light needs replacing, again"

"...Mm-hmm"

"And the cobwebs in the garage are becoming a nuisance"

"...Mm-hmm"

"...Will, your head's on fire"

"Mm-hmm...What?-" the Major blinked in surprise before realizing what his buddy just said, and rubbed his weary eyes as he sat up straight, stretched his limbs out, causing several of his joints to crack and pop, and gaped his mouth wide open as he yawned; " Sorry Ironhide, I was a million miles away"

"_Obviously_, you've been a 'million miles away' for the past 4 days-" the weapons specialist raised an optic ridge, "You've been distracted, and not just since we got back from the other universe; care to share your thoughts?" he asked as his human friend climbed up his arm and perched himself on his shoulder, his eyes gazed out across the pasture, and settled on the forms of his wife, daughter, and Chromia. He smiled as he watched the big blue femme chase the little four year old honey-blonde around in a game of tag, with her mother close behind; it never failed to amuse him, the way Annabelle would dart around the femme's legs like a whippet on a sixpence, and she was left to play catch-up as she tried (and failed on purpose) to pluck her up off the ground.

In the short time since Ironhide first introduced Will and his family to his sparkmate Chromia, the femme had really grown fond of the little human family, and likewise the Lennox's had come to love their new co-guardian. Sarah was delighted at having a new 'girlfriend' to hang out with (and a new car to drive), Annabelle was overjoyed at having a new 'auntie' to play with, and Will was happy for his guardian, as having his sparkmate back in his life had taken the edge off his otherwise grouchier, more brooding attitude. Chromia had grown to like the domestic life, she didn't mind helping out around home and garden, chatting and gossiping with Sarah about all kinds of things, and having her own little human sparkling to care for and spoil rotten tickled her pink. When it came to femmes Chromia was as hard as they came, unflinching, unafraid, and as hardcore as any Wreaker or Dinobot; so her new attitude came as somewhat as a surprise to most of the other bots, not least her own spark-mate. But in the pit of his spark Ironhide sensed this was something she had wanted for a very long time; over the long years of fighting and strife, the idea of a family had kept her going, that one day they would be able to have a little place to call home, and sparklings of their own to raise and love...

Well? Being on an organic world wasn't what he had in mind, but it was home now, and this little family was no less precious...

"...She really loves Anny" Will blurted out as he became lost in his thoughts, realizing what he was referring to, Ironhide looked over at his spark-mate, and nodded in agreement; "She's always had a thing for sparklings; we hoped to have some of our own one day"

"Really? That'd be great!" Will grinned

"Indeed, and it would make her so happy..." the black bot sighed thoughtfully

"But?" Will raised an eyebrow

"...You know why" the bot regarded him with a knowing look.

"You're still worried about _them-_" Will sighed, "...I don't blame you, and I'd have to agree it might be too early to rush to conclusions on whether they still pose a real threat. But it's not like we're unprepared; we've a fully equipped base, three Cybertronian ships, one of whom doubles up as one hell of a doorman, and with the 9 joining the ranks we'll have over 60 bots making up our combined forces. You gotta admit, that's way better compared to what we had 2 years ago"

"I don't deny we're in a better position to hold the upper hand and keep our enemies at bay. But they _will_ come back, and with Megatron dead and Starscream in charge there's no telling what slag could go down" the mech grunted.

"That's part and part of this whole thing, but after what we've been through recently I don't think we're in much of a position to complain. Considering what went down"

"That's true..." Ironhide sighed as his mind cast back to the events of the past month, "...Of all the possible scenarios to transpire, I never imagined the unlikeliest would come about in the most _impossible_ fashion"

"You and me both; and who would've thought we'd find Optimus's long lost sister in the process?"

"I'm still getting my processor round that-" he grimaced, "Of all the secrets he ever kept I never imagined a sister was part of the equation. But then, when you're talking about a bot like Optimus, there're _many_ factors that make up the equation that is him"

"I have to confess, the resemblance to-, you know who is uncanny, and I'm not ashamed to say she creeps me out a little"

"The fact Prime trusts her is the only thing stopping me from completely _distrusting_ her, she does radiate the same kind of austerity that _their brother _had, and that makes me wary" he frowned as the cannons on his wrists slowly spun in agitation.

"Amen-" Will nodded in agreement; "...There's obviously something-, I can only describe as 'unresolved' between them. It's not like Megatron wasn't a big factor in their lives, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's some skeletons hiding in her closet because of him"

"You too?" the bot asked in mild surprise, "-I surmised as much, and the fact they were twins is even more incredible; but still, she perplexes me more than anything. I'd be 'cautiously' interested to see what she does"

"Yeah I guess..." Will mused aloud as his thoughts slowly crept back into the forefront of his mind, and his eyes glazed over as he drifted back into a state of deep thoughtfulness; for a moment neither of them spoke before Ironhide glanced at his friend and noticed the look on his face. "Alright! What is it?" he grumbled; "Huh?" Will shook his head as he snapped back to reality.

"You got that same look on your face plates again! You've obviously got something on your processor, so spit it out already!"

"Sorry it's just-..." Will hesitate as he tried to sum up his thoughts into words, "- I'm still finding it unbelievable" was all he found he could get out; "Well I don't blame you, after what Jazz and the others went through it's enough to make anyone doubtful; but we saw it for ourselves, and that Dark Spark would've made even the hardest cons run for their lives" Ironhide replied.

"No, I mean-...I'm still finding it unbelievable that Annabelle-...survived what happened _that _night"

"Oh..." Ironhide realized what he was referring to, "..._that_ night"

"I mean- I always knew she was tough, and she's not one to shy away like other kids her age; but going through something like _that_? Unfazed by the prospect of getting hurt, or worse-..." Will sighed in exasperation as he rubbed his tied eyes and tried to untangle his vexed thoughts, "...I know Mikaela and Morri didn't lie, hell I saw all the CCTV footage of that night for myself; it's just-...how're you supposed to comprehend a four year old-, _your_ four year old daughter, is capable of undertaking such a dangerous task? And with a-, 'mutant human-Decepticon hybrid zombie' on their tail?, *sigh* I know my dad warned me that kids can surprise you in uncanny ways; but Christ, that _wasn't_ what I had in mind!"

"...Um? Not that I don't share your concern Will; but, how is this a bad thing?" Ironhide asked cautiously, Will snapped his head up and looked the Autobot in complete nonplussed shock, but before he could argue back, the mech clarified: "-Look, I'm _not_ saying it was the most _logical_ judgement on Annabelle's part, and considering what happened I was just as equally concerned for her welfare; but from the standpoint of one who has seen so many young Autobot rookies die as a result of their inexperience, what Annabelle did was exemplary. She showed courage and resolve in the face of adversity, quick thinking and skill when things got dicey, and she looked after her little friends with the utmost loyalty; such talent in one so young is truly something unique, even by Cybertronian standards"

"But this _isn't_ Cybertron Ironhide, and what she and the other kids went through that night was no gym class!" Will sternly pointed out, "-They could've died! _She_ could've died! And if it hadn't been for-..." he stopped himself from losing his temper and took a deep breath, regaining his composure: "...Look, I don't know what the cultural standards of child rearing on Cybertron were like, but here on earth, human children aren't born with protective armour; they feel pain more acutely compared to when their grown up like us, and if you don't teach them how to take an owie right you can scar them for life; and worse still, if you give them something dangerous you _just know_ their gonna get way more than a boo-boo" he exasperated.

"Your referring to the pendant Prime gave her for her third Birthday?" the mech asked

"I made it clear giving her that pendant wasn't a good idea, I mean-, who the hell in their right mind gives a three year old something that can shoot lasers?!"

"Someone who sees your daughter for all the potential she has, and _still_ has to show..." Ironhide frowned; confused, Will just stared up at him, trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about. Sighing in exasperation, Ironhide explained: "...Do you remember the first time you brought Sarah and Annabelle to the base? Back when she was only 18 months old? And do you remember what Prime said when you let Annabelle crawl into his hand?"

Casting his mind back to said day, a look of clarity seemed to fill the soldier's eyes as he remembered what he was referring too: "...'I have never seen such boldness in one so young'..." he recited softly.

"Even Bumblebee and Bluestreak weren't _that _bold when they were her age, and I've known them practically since the day they were first onlined..." the mech explained wisely, "...She's always been bold, maybe because she's known us since she can first remember? Or your genetic format codes have had a higher influence than expected? I don't know...I confess, when you first introduced her to me I couldn't _believe_ how _tiny_ she was, never mind how fragile! It was like trying to handle gold leaf, I was terrified one rapid movement or accidental knock would damage her frame irreparably, and for a time I dreaded those occasions when you let her near me while she was learning how to walk" the black Autobot sighed in exasperation.

"...I remember..." Will blinked in surprise, "...So what changed?" he frowned in curiosity; Ironhide hesitated a moment before summoning up the courage to explain: "...Do you remember, last year when we were cleaning out the barn in preparation to convert it into an auxiliary garage?"

"Yeah? ..."

"Well, the day we removed all the broken machinery, Annabelle insisted she help me move the old tractor out, which I stated firmly was too dangerous for one so small; but it didn't faze her, and she proceeded to try and push the thing out while I towed it from the front. Then, just as I got it out the doors I looked in my wing-mirrors and saw she'd stopped and was shouting at something on the ground, thinking she had gotten distracted by one of her 'imaginary friends' I proceeded without further hindrance. But once I got the tractor out and transformed, I noticed something on the ground where she had stopped, and saw to my alarm that it was a rattlesnake-" he explained nervously, Will stared at him in surprise as he remembered said day; but didn't say anything as he let his guardian continue, "...The fact that the creature was threatening her with its tail-rattle was disconcerting enough, but the fact she was just standing there, telling it what a 'naughty snaky' it was, was even more unbelievable. I picked the thing up and threw it into the woods, and told her, 'That creature was dangerous Annabelle! Do you know it could've killed you with one bite?', and she firmly stated, 'Yes I do, but that won't stop me! Just cuz something's dangerous don't mean you gotta be scared of it, there's a lotta things that are scary, but we have ta get along with them anyway, you can't be scared _all _the time, otherwise you can't get _anything_ done!'...To this day I _still_ have no idea where she got _that _from"

For a moment Will sat in confusion, as he tried to get his head around what his friend just told him, "...That _really_ happened? You never mentioned anything about a rattlesnake?"

"Yes well-, since no real harm had been done I didn't want to stress you or Sarah out unnecessarily, and besides, I told her the next time she sees a snake of that nature, just step away from it-" he assured him before turning back to the point at hand, "...But my point is, I was both astounded and amazed that she understood the necessity of such courage over such threatening obstacles; at first I thought she'd just heard it somewhere on the TV and was just repeating it out of habit. But the more I saw her practice that point the more I began to realize she was developing into her own sense of self, and was unafraid to satisfy her curiosity where most other human sparklings would shy away, out of instinct to avoid danger"

"She always _was_ plucky, but I just figured that was how _all _toddlers were when they started out" Will reasoned offhand.

"So did I, needless to say the finer points of human child rearing that I learnt from the World Wide Web were varying; and it wasn't until I watched over Annabelle at day-care that I saw firsthand how she compared to other human sparklings, and the contrast of her attitude and boldness really showed"

"I have to admit, the reports her teacher gave _did_ seem a little 'OTT'; but we just chocked it up to excessive energy bursts or being stimulated too much. When they're that age it's hard to accurately put your finger on it; one minute it's this, the next it's that, and my parent's contrasting views on the subject didn't help much"

"Your mother is a little 'eccentric' to say the least, but that's beside the point...For all her boldness and lack of truly appreciating the depth of real danger; she _did_ undertake that journey for a good reason, and if she hadn't, the truth about those kidnappings would've gone unnoticed, and Jazz and the others would've _never_ uncovered the true nature of the Black Lotus. As unconventional as her plan was, it _did_ serve a greater purpose" Ironhide pointed out

"...True I guess? ..." Will sighed, "But why _her_? Why couldn't it have been someone else?"

"I'd ask Alpha Trion; if he _really _was watching over them the whole time, he _had to've_ known what she did that night"

"Couldn't he have done anything? If what he said in that other universe was true and he had been guiding them towards the truth the whole time; why didn't he consider someone more 'experienced' for the job?" Will asked, the black bot rubbed his forehead plates and passed a deep heavy sigh through his vents.

"As much I wish that could've been the case, whenever Alpha Trion pops into the equation, _nothing _is ever simple" he sighed broodingly, "...I haven't known him personally like I've known Optimus, but I_ do_ know he is the single most wisest, most powerful of our kind; and true to what he told us in that other universe he _never_ does anything unless it serves a greater purpose. I don't know _why_ Annabelle had to be the one to uncover the kidnappings, but she did, and she came out stronger for it; perhaps that is what he saw in her? That the smaller can be the mightier? I can't say"

"...Greater purpose? ..." Will mused aloud, "So? Everything we did, everything that happened, he knew was already _going_ to happen? Then what was the point of it all? If he already _knew_ we were going to win, why did we go through all that? What purpose did that serve other than to bring us all to within an inch of death?" he exclaimed in disbelief

"I've asked him that question more times than I can count; and again and again, he reminds us that 'it's the nature of the universe', and 'the way of which all things are meant to be', or some other obscurely abstract wisdom of that nature-" the mech frowned, "For the longest time I believed that, he may be a mech of principle but he didn't truly appreciate to depth of what we were trying to accomplish; that we weren't just seeking to protect the Allspark, we would try to restore life on Cybertron, to correct the balance that Megatron destroyed, and the countless lives he obliterated as a result..." he fumed for a moment, before calming down, and explaining in a more measured tone: "...But the more the war leaned towards insanity, the more we began to realize, just how short-sighted we had been. I mean-, yes we knew it would be hard, and at times seemingly impossible, but we always thought we could find a way around it; that restoring the planet was_ always_ within our reach, no matter how high Megatron set the bar...and time and again, he reminded, and warned us all of the short-falls of taking the easy way. Prime was never one for short-changing or cutting corners, and we all fought by that principle; but when you see your fellow Cybertronians killing for the sake of it, with no purpose other than to serve death itself; wouldn't you want to find a way, _any way_, to make it stop? ..." he gazed at the human with an unreadable look in his optics. For a moment Will felt a small cold pang of fear slip its way through his stomach, and disappear into the back of his mind; taunting him with visions of a darkened battlefield drenched in blood, and countless screams rising up on the wind, and realized just how wrong the final battle with the Dark Spark could've gone down. For a moment, he felt something resembling regret and pity reach out to his friend, and wanting to tell him 'it'll be okay, it's all over now'...but he knew it wasn't that simple; no words could bring back all those who perished, or turn back time to rectify the wrongs that had been inflicted on the innocent. And so, with a sense of feeling small and feeling helpless he said nothing and averted his gaze to out across the field. For a long while neither of them spoke as they watched their family laughing and giggling; with the game of tag now over, Annabelle had perched herself on Chromia's shoulder, and was now picking apples from the nearby line of trees that made up the little orchid that occupied their back yard. The femme handed the fruits to Sarah, who gathered them in her arms and made her way back to the house, with the promise of making apple pies. Overhead, barn swallows and tree swallows darted and flitted about on the warm evening winds, unconcerned about the huge metal giant sitting beneath them.

"...I'm proud of her..." Will sighed, "I'm not angry that she did the right thing. But she's my daughter Ironhide, I'm _always _gonna worry. But now I'm even more worried; now that she knows she doesn't have to be afraid, she's gonna go looking for trouble and'll bite off more than she can chew"

"...Not if you teach her _not_ to" Ironhide replied softly, "...I may not be a father, but I've looked after enough rookies to know how to properly prepare them for the worst: instead of worrying and procrastinating over if and when your daughter will find her way to trouble, _teach_ her to know what trouble _looks_ like, and then show her what to do accordingly...Because at the end of the day when all is said and done, you'll have no one else to blame but yourself for not being decisive, and brave enough to acknowledge that she's growing up"

"You say that but she's only four years old, she's too young" Will replied softly

"That didn't stop her from wanting to help those other human sparklings, or take on that hybrid square on. You forget, when survival is at stake age is irrelevant; the drive to preserve one's self is the strongest instinct of any life-form, regardless of their age. Even a new-born will try to fight if it perceives a threat, and even when crippled a soldier will still fight until he's within that last inch of his life, and even then he'll still keep striking until his spark finally gives out..." Ironhide explained, "Besides, she _didn't _use the pendent recklessly, she knew how fire it and how to activate the tracking beacon; though I _was_ sort of hopping she wouldn't figure out how to use it for _at least_ another few years" he added; a brief uneasy silence pasted between them before Will asked offhand "...Am I a bad father? For not-,"

"No; we're learning, all the time, and just when we think we know everything there is to know, something comes along that still takes us by surprise...I know you Will, you're a good human and a good soldier; its just-, being a father, a guardian, or even a trainer, is much more than one duty alone; its means being a teacher, a carer, a provider, a defender, being a good listener and knowing when to say what needs to be said. It means many things, but for you, above all else it means being there for her no matter what: and when the time comes, being prepared to let her go when she's ready to walk this world as your equal..." Ironhide explained wisely, "Not being aware of your daughter's inner strength doesn't make you a bad father, it just means you've got your work cut out for you" he added with a smile, to which Will couldn't help but smile before he turned serious again.

"...I don't want my daughter growing up thinking that violence is a good thing..." Will thought aloud.

"With our 'particular career choices' violence is regrettably an unavoidable thing. And sadly you won't be able to protect her from all the evils of this life and world, that's a fact all human sparklings have to face sooner or later; but its better she's _aware _of the shadows, than neglect the knowledge of the monsters that hide within them" his guardian reasoned.

"...I guess..." Will sighed as he nodded slightly, "It's _not_ that I don't want Anny to grow up not knowing that there're bad things out there. It's just-..."

"Just what?"

"Exactly, what? ...I don't know what'll happen?"

"Just like you to fuss over the details..." Ironhide smiled, "...Annabelle's never faced a true Decepticon before, and for her sake I hope she doesn't have to for a very long time to come. I'm not saying put a gun in your daughter's hand, Prime would _never_ endorse anything like that, all I'm saying is, at least show her how to handle a bad situation; teach her basic first aid, show her where to run and how and where to hide, who to call in an emergency, those sort of things. The least you can do is give yourself and Sarah the peace of mind of knowing she's not entirely defenseless; and don't worry about not knowing what'll happen, Annabelle's a tough little human, she's got more brass bearings than some bots I can think of, and she takes after you in more ways than one. Trust me, the planet didn't orbit far from _your_ sun" the black bot smiled with a knowing grin. Will raised an eyebrow as he realized the similarity to the old human saying of 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree', and couldn't help but smile; for a moment the bot's wise words gave him an ounce of ease, and he was tempted to shrug off his worries and say, 'Well? What's the worst that could happen?', but something deep down told him to keep that to himself, least karma would suddenly be tempted to deal him a bad hand.

"Thanks Ironhide..." Will sighed in slight relief.

"It's nothing; besides, she might need first-hand guidance for the foreseeable future, seeing as we're going to be kept busy with our newest little addition to the base" Ironhide smirked

"You mean Jay-jay?" the human grinned.

"You mean that little blue ball of energy? The way she's been exploring the base it's put Blurr's speed to shame"

"I guess that's one other thing our offspring share in common"

"Undoubtedly, and having Annabelle and the drones to play with has been nothing short of exhausting, forget telling the twins not to give her energon candies before recharge-time!" the old weapons expert sighed in exasperation as the memory of the last few days came to mind, having to play catch-up to an overly hyperactive sparkling felt like it had aged him by over 500 years.

"I'm amazed Hailey and the girls can keep up with her, she really has a way with the little sweetheart..." Will mused aloud as he recalled the scene in the rec room yesterday. Jay-jay had been making a fuss as Elita-1 tried to sit her down for her mid-morning energon, but the little femme wasn't interested, she only wanted the energon candies Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had been sneaking her. She was on the verge of an all-out temper-tantrum when Hailey stepped in, dropped a quarter of an energon candy in with her regular low-grade energon formula, and the little femme happily swigged the whole cube down without further fuss. The young human then proceeded to explain that's how she got her to drink up all her energon during the time they spent in the underground safe-house in the other universe; with no manual or how-to guides on cybertronian child-rearing for reference, Hailey and her sisters had only their babysitting experience and improvisation to go on while the others were busy tracking down the Black lotus, and with Jay-jay being in her care for long periods at a time, it was no wonder the sparkling had a much better rapport with Hailey that any other individual, human or cybertronian. "...Come to think of it, she seems to be the only one Jay-jay regards as a mother-figure" he added.

"Mores the pity" Ironhide sighed

Will blinked in surprise "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Hailey won't be eligible to be Jay-jay's guardian; at least, not in the long-term"

"What? Why? She's brilliant with Jay-jay; hell we'd have her as Annabelle's babysitter if we didn't already have Mikaela"

"Her skills, commitment and spark are not in doubt, she's proven to be a fine guardian, and Prime is well aware of it; but Jay-jay, like all protoforms, will grow. By this time next year she'll be ready for her first upgrade, and then she'll be twice the size and weight of John, and he's _big_ for a human. Her energon intake will have doubled to accommodate her expanding systems and micro-circuit growth, and by the time she's 13 years of age she'll be ready for her first altmode, and then she's got to learn how to fly...It simply a case of practicalities, Hailey isn't a Cybertronian let alone a Transformer, for all the love, tenderness and care she can provide Jay-jay, she won't be able to teach her the practical aspects of being a cybertronian. And don't forget, if there's anything to learn from that whole fiasco with Annabelle and the twins, it's that the dynamics of inter-species offspring rearing is just too risky, even the vice versa" Ironhide explained.

"Uuuh? Yeah..." Will winced in slight dread as the memory of said incident came to mind, and the chaos that had ensued as a result. "Okay, but you _do _realize it'll break her heart if Jay-jay is taken away?" he pointed out sceptically.

"Indubitably; which is why Hailey will remain with Jay-jay as a 'junior' guardian in-training, Prime is meeting with her tomorrow to go over the details, but until Swiftshot online's and resumes her role as her creator, Jay-jay will need a temporary guardian to watch over and help care for her"

"Wow, how many bots have started lining up for that job?"

"Quite a lot, but after trying to watch over her for 'a moment', the numbers quickly dwindled down into single digits; besides, Jay-jay's a flyer so she will need a flyer as her guardian; experience has shown that flyers do well with their own kind, just as terrestrials do well with others terrestrials. It's an altmode-class thing" Ironhide shrugged.

"So Jetfire's picked the short straw huh?"

"That remains to be seen; like I said, Prime and Hailey will discuss the matter and try to determine who will be the best suitable co-guardian. In the meantime, I'm more concerned with how the meeting between NEST and the Pentagon's gonna go tomorrow; no doubt that fool Galloway will be biting at our tires again over _some_ discrepancy in our handling of the 'incident' with the DRD last month" the black bot frowned in annoyance.

"I'm just thankful he's not on the classified access list, if he were here tomorrow I'd hate to see what Majestrix will do to him, since she and her team are his new gripe of the week" Will grimaced in a dry tone.

"Mores the pity, the twins were hoping to take bets on who'll 'out-bitch' who" the weapons expert grinned, to which Will couldn't help but laugh. After he calmed down, Ironhide turned sedate again: "...But in all seriousness. Earlier, I 'accidentally' overheard an encrypted live web-cam chat between Galloway and his constituents in Washington; it looks like our rescue mission to the other universe has caused somewhat of a stir in the corridors of power, Moshower is keen to ascertain the facts firsthand, and speak to Majestrix herself, while the President is keen to know if the 9 are 'on the level'"

"I heard the same thing; at the debriefing this afternoon I got a notice from the JCS saying that their keen to stay abreast of the situation with the new arrivals without getting the President too worked up on the matter, to that extent they're sending us someone, who by their account has 'many years experience in the field of covert operations and psychological profiling'; he won't be part of any field missions, more like a 'den-mother' between us and you guys"

"As long as he's got no gripes to lay down on us, I don't mind"

"Amen. But I'm more concerned with how Galloway's gonna spin this whole thing, with one more ship parked out in our backyard he's gonna really go all out, and if he finds out about Ashley-"

"-He won't" Ironhide interrupted, "Prime's taking care of that matter personally; I don't know what the details are specifically, but it must be something of a sensitive or pressing nature for him to be so secretive about it, even around Prowl, Ultra Magnas and myself. Whatever the reason for his silence, I've no doubt it's for the boy's welfare, as well as the welfare of his family"

"But Galloway and the JCS are gonna want answers; their gonna think something's up when they read through our report and see the Brigg's medical files have been sealed without official approval"

"I don't know how Prime intends to handle that, but whatever he has in mind I'm sure he's got a strategy in place. He always has"

"That's the one thing that never fails to impress me; even when the chips are down he always seems to know exactly what to say or what to do...I can't help but think he'd make a great dad one day" Will thought aloud .

"...I've often thought the same thing; being a Prime isn't just about being the bearer of the Matrix of Leadership or being able to commune with the Allspark. It takes something else, something special to be what he is, something-...even you have..." the giant bot glanced sideways at his friend.

Will glanced at him nonplussed, "...I do? ...What?"

"...I don't know, but every time I see you gaze at Annabelle with that proud and loving look in your optics; you look exactly like Prime when we do him proud...I've lived for countless eons, through war, darkness, and death; and in all that time I've never seen any other sentient being, organic or technological, hold that same look. To see such radiant love, pride, and hope, in such a small and finite being is the most humbling thing I've seen"

Slightly surprised, and humbled, Will didn't quite know what to say at first; until a small honest smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he softly replied, "...Thank you, Ironhide".

As he watched Chromia hold Annabelle in her hands, rubbing their noses together and giggling in delight; the weight of the doubts that had been vexing his thoughts slowly began to slip away. Seeing her, so confident, sure of herself, and flawlessly unafraid, he couldn't help but wonder if she really would be okay? The thought of her dying that night in the other universe never failed to plunge a blade of worry and fear through his heart, along with the cold chill of not know _exactly_ what would happen in the near or distant future, and in an instant the doubts wiggled their way back in...But what parent _didn't_ worry about their child? Any other time anyone would tell you it's perfectly normal for any parent to fret over their child and what challenges they will have to face growing up; but when the threat of a possible Decepticon retaliation is something to keep in mind, it's enough to make any parent go ape-shit...

...So why hadn't he gone ape-shit already?

The realization struck him like a kick in the teeth and stopped his vexed thoughts dead in their tracks: by all rights he should've raised hell over the whole issue, strap on his boots and go to town on someone's ass. So why, or how, of all the worst case scenarios to transpire, everything worked out okay for his family? Looking over at Sarah, he recalled how, upon first being introduced the Autobots, she was more in awe at them than afraid (and soon became good friends with them as a result), and Annabelle was certainly no different, she was barely a year old when she'd been first introduced, and was neither afraid or alarmed, she'd simply smiled up at Optimus and reached out for him. The idea of encountering such unbelievable and practically omnipotent beings is enough to make anyone afraid. But their contrasting personalities and (oh so very) human-like mannerisms had had everyone around him taking such a fond liking to them that it hadn't occurred to him (or probably anyone else?) to stop and think 'should I?'...

It was a conundrum unto itself, and no matter what answer he tried to work out, the _true_ answer was nowhere in sight; and he was left with a sense of running into a brick wall...But one notion brought him out of his confusion; instead of trying to look for all the possible short-comings, why not try looking for the silver linings in all this? After all, teaching Annabelle the basics of what to do in a crisis _would_ give him and Sarah _some _peace of mind, and it probably wouldn't hurt to extend a little more trust in his daughter's confidence, so long as she could be taught the finer points of making a sound decision in judging a dubious situation. As the many positive possibilities began to push his unease away, Will began to think maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, whether Sarah would go for it was another matter (he made a mental note to discuss the matter with her tomorrow). Suddenly, he was abruptly snapped out of his musings by the laughter of his daughter as she came bounding up to Ironhide like an overenthusiastic puppy who hadn't seen her best friend in a long time; a wide grin spread across the Autobot's face plates as she took a running leap into his lap and scooted up his armour like a gecko, swinging her legs up over the armour that made up his neck pates, she brought her head up to his and kissed him on the cheek plate: "Hiya Ironhide! You gonna read me a bedtime story tonight?" she asked eagerly.

"Is it your recharge-time already?" he smiled with a look of mock surprise.

"It is, and mommy said we can sleep out in the barn tonight!" the little honey-blond beamed; glancing over her head, Ironhide saw Chromia and Sarah carrying some sleeping bags, several blankets, a heap of pillows, and a packet of S'mores and sachets of hot chocolate. The two females beckoned them to follow them as they made their way across the pasture towards the barn.

"A camp out? Sounds good to me" Will grinned as he swung his legs over the side of the bot's shoulder plates and leapt down onto the ground; Annabelle tried to follow suit but Ironhide immediately scooped her up in one hand, "Ah ah ah, your frame isn't yet strong enough to withstand the impact of such a jump youngling" he gently wagged his finger, "Oh come on! I can make that jump easy!" Annabelle boldly stated, "When the bones in your legs are adequately calcified and sturdy enough, then you can jump all you want, until then you can leap off my knee plates" he smiled as he placed her on his knee; the distance to the ground was barely a meter, but Annabelle leapt off as if it were hardly an inch high, and flew into her father's arms with a delighted giggle as the giant bot stretched his legs out and picked himself up off the ground.

"So, what story would you like me to read to you tonight?" he asked as he slowly ambled behind the humans.

"Mmm..."Annabelle thought for a moment, "I like the story about the white bunny in the moon that pounds rice into little boxes all night!" she beamed.

"Huh?-" Will raised an eyebrow in bemusement, "Where'd you hear that one honey?" he asked.

"Misses Nobuyoshi, she told that one to me and Mizuki, the night we left to look for the scary men..." she replied frankly.

"...Oh, okay..."

"...Daddy?" Annabelle noticed the odd look in her father's eyes; Will shook his head, and looked at her as with a reassuring smile.

"...It's okay sweetie; daddy just had a funny moment"

"You've been having a lotta funny moment's today" she pointed out with a curious look.

"Yeah...That happens when daddy's worry a lot"

"Are you worried now daddy?"

"...Nah..." he glanced up at Ironhide with a knowing smile, and the giant black bot returned the gesture with a wink, "...Daddy's got it covered..." he hugged her tightly, and together they made their way over to the barn as the last of the sun's light dipped below the horizon, and the stars began to shine through the dark indigo sky.

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R&R Please!


	6. Chp 6: No Place For Bureaucracy

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.

* * *

TOMORROW IS FOREVER COMING

Chapter 6: No Place for Bureaucracy

"Hmm..." Hailey sighed concerningly as she propped her elbows on the desk.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Bluestreak asked as he gently cupped his hand around her, and stroked her side with one finger.

"...Yeah I guess; I should've expected something like this was probably gonna happen sooner or later, I just didn't know Prime wanted to get right on it so soon" she gazed up at him with a doleful look.

"Well? I just don't get why he didn't ask me for the job? I mean, it's not like I don't have prior experience in being a guardian; and while Jay-jay's not ready to fly yet surely I can care for her until she reaches her final upgrade?" Bluestreak reasoned.

"And anyway-" Becca piped up from his left shoulder, "Who's gonna fill the position of co-guardian?"

"Well actually, I-" Hailey didn't get to finish as the sound the door opening drew her attention to Prime, Ratchet, Prowl, and Majestrix Prima as they strolled in and sat down in their respective seats. The sight of the Prima sitting next to her younger brother hadn't failed to both impress and intimidate the younger blue bot and his charges; while her resemblance to her former twin brother was downright uncanny, she also conveyed a strong sense of leadership and firm resolution, much like Prime. The older femme surveyed the humans with a curious optic, like a cat eyeing its potential prey, she sat still and reserved, serene yet somewhat austere in a passive fashion. The impression hadn't escaped Ratchet and Prowl's notice as they shifted uncomfortably in their seats, the fact of Megatron having a twin sister had 'unsettled' the whole base, and getting used to the idea of being in her company was still a new concept. But they kept their opinions to themselves as Prime cleared his vocalizers and glanced down at the Waineright sisters and Autobot gunner with his usual sedate yet approachable look.

"You understand the reason for this meeting Hailey?" he asked softly

"Yes..." the blond teen replied nervously as she gently rung her hands with worry.

"Then you also understand that due to the 'uniqueness' of this situation, it has been difficult to reach a decision; one that would work to everyone's benefit, not least Jay-jay's" he replied, the girls and blue bot blinked in confusion.

"Uniqueness?" Hailey raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering how it applied to the context of the situation.

"A cybertronian being guardian to a sentient protoform is one thing, but another sentient being playing the role of guardian to a cybertronian youngling? Such a thing has never occurred before, so you'll forgive us if the notion doesn't raise at least _a few_ doubts" Majestrix coolly purred in a smooth tone.

"How's that supposed to be any different to us? Me, Bee, Ironhide, Deathshot, Trailbreaker, we've all got humans to protect, we're both alien species anyway, so how's Hailey being a guardian any different?" Bluestreak stated.

"A fair point Bluestreak; and that's not a fact we've overlooked. Had Jay-jay been onlined in the proper conditions her guardian-paring would've been easier. But since she's clearly developed a bond with Hailey, this situation is made all the more complicated by the fact that whoever we choose to be Jay-jay's co-guardian, must be willing to share their guardian-ship with you, since you are still the girls guardian too" Prime explained

"So? Basically it's a double guardian-ship?" Becky piped up from Bluestreak's right shoulder, "Well what's wrong with that? We still get to keep Blue, Jay-jay gets to stay with us, and she also gets a new second guardian to boot. How's that complicated?"

"Clearly you've yet to learn the finer points of what's at hand here" Majestrix sceptically raised an optic ridge.

"Which is why I'm approving Hailey's request to train to be a guardian-" Ratchet interjected.

Majestrix blinked in mild surprise; "...Oh?"

"Well? Mikaela's certainly proven herself more than capable of being an Autobot medic; I don't see why Hailey and her sister's shouldn't be given the opportunity to prove themselves capable of caring for Jay-jay. Raising a sparkling is no more difficult for us than it would be for a human, raising _you_ and Bumblebee certainly proved that-" the medic glanced at the young gunner, "If anything they did remarkably well considering the circumstances of Jay-jay's onlining; and with the pressures they were under it's incredible that Jay-jay came out unscathed let alone unaffected by the Dark Spark's omnipotent presence" the medic explained.

"I must confess I too was impressed by the girl's resourcefulness and reasonable line of logic-" Prowl added, "Despite the threat they faced they _did_ put the youngling's safety before their own, and they did come up with a system of adequate care and protection, even without the presence of their Autobot guardian"

"I know, I _did_ read the report" Majestrix pointed out

"Then what's the issue? And if you don't mind me asking, why do _you_ have a say in all this?" Hailey glanced up at the femme sceptically.

"Before I joined my brother as an Autobot commander, I was once the High Governess and Protector of _all _the foundries on Cybertron; I oversaw the onlining of every sparkling born to our world, both Allspark-born and femme-born, and the creation of their protoforms. I know _more_ than a few things about what makes a good guardian, and being a creator myself I'm well versed in the subject of care-giving and seeing to a youngling's every need..." The femme explained in a cool manner as she locked her sharp red optics onto the girls, holding their gaze as she leaned a little closer to their level, "Far be it for me to doubt your dedication, enthusiasm, and love for your charge, the practicalities of raising a sparkling in the long term are just as demanding if not more so compared to the rearing of a human sparkling. Besides education and basic maintenance, there are the upgrades to consider; every cycle Jay-jay will need to upgrade to a larger frame to accommodate her protoform, and the bigger she gets the harder it will be for you to handle her. And when she's finally ready to take an altmode, how will you be able to teach her to fly? Your organic frame isn't exactly built for an aerial lifestyle my dear" she pointed out as she ran one of her long blade-like fingers over the teen's back, Hailey recoiled slightly but didn't protest (not aloud anyway), "...I'm not here to demean you or say you're not capable, believe me if that were the case you'd have known about it already. I'm simply here to point out the reality of this situation; and to make sure you're aware of what you're in for if you choose to commit to this"

Hailey considered her words for a brief moment, before confidently looking her in the optic and stating "...It's not gonna be easy, I know that"

"It won't be, and there will be a great deal to learn if you intend to make the cut as an Autobot guardian; it's much more than just 'babysitting'. You must be willing to act at a moment's notice, and be ready for all and any circumstances, no matter how dire" Majestrix added, to which the blond teen nodded affirmatively.

"...Are you willing to accept the responsibility?" Prime asked softly

"Prime, if I didn't want Jay-jay I _wouldn't _have stepped up in the first place..." Hailey replied vehemently as she folded her arms, the Autobot leader glanced between his sister and his SIC and medic, no one voiced any objections.

"Then in that case, I approve your request for guardian-ship of Jay-jay, and hereby daft you into our commission as a trainee Autobot guardian" Prime stated; the smiles on the Waineright sisters faces beamed with delight, as did Bluestreak's.

"Congratulations: and now that we have that little formality taken care of, the subject of your co-guardian needs to be addressed..." Prowl stated as he produced a small data-pad from his subspace and scrolled down the list of the various Autobot flyers; "Now, who have we selected as a potential candidate?" he glanced at the other bots.

"What about Jetfire? He'd be great for the job!" Becca excitedly interjected

"As much as I agree; I'm afraid he's getting on in his age, and while he's got the vim and vigor for fighting Decepticons, trying to bring up a sparkling might be asking too much of him. Though I would pen him as our secondary option" Prowl replied

"Okay, well what about Springer? He turns into a helicopter so he counts as a flyer right?" Becky asked.

"Indeed, but he strikes me as a little too 'gun-hoe' for someone who must allow for a great deal of flexibility as a guardian. Too much time on the firing range" Majestrix stated coolly in a mildly snobbish tone.

"Hmm, perhaps? ..." Prowl replied offhand as he looked over Springer's profile.

"Hey he did sparkling-sit me and Bee when we were little and we turned out okay!" Bluestreak interjected

"You only liked him because he snuck you two energon candies to keep you quiet!" Ratchet deadpanned dryly

"But he _was_ patient, and his sense of humor adds to his character as a care-giver, even if it's a temporary assignment" Prowl pointed out.

"What about Deathshot? He's pretty cool, and Jay-jay likes him" Becca suggested

"If he wasn't already preoccupied I'd have him as one of our best hopefuls; but with Ashley's 'situation' taking precedence of his duties as guardian I'm afraid he'll have to be one our back-up options" Prime stated.

"Okay, then what about one of your bots? I've looked over the Black Solstus's crew roster and you've got quite a few flyers among your ranks; anyone there who might up for the task?" Ratchet glanced at Majestrix, who regarded him with a raised optic ridge.

"There's a few I can think of that would be good candidates, but you'll have to wait until their out of quarantine before you can interview them, until then I'll upload their profiles to Teletran-1..." she replied smoothly; "..._You've_ obviously got someone in mind, care to share your opinion with us?" she regarded Hailey with a curious look. The blond teen looked up in slight surprise; this femme didn't miss anything; as the other bots gazed at her in curiosity, she hesitated: uncertain if they'll be willing to listen let alone _consider _her co-guardian of choice.

"It's alright, we're open for suggestions" Ratchet assured her.

Taking a deep breath, Hailey's uncertainly continued to ping at the back of her mind as she anxiously piped in her two cents. "...Well? I do have _one_ guy in mind; of all the bots Jay-jay's _really_ taken a liking to him the most, and, I think deep down he'd _like_ the job, provided he's given time-...and a _chance_ to prove himself"

"_Prove_ himself?" Prowl asked in bemusement

"Well? Considering your history with each other, I wasn't sure if giving the benefit of the doubt was on the cards..." she winced as the looks on the bots faces began to turn to a look of concern, while Prime's was the only one that remained unmoved as he listened.

"...One of the defectors?" Prowl quickly put two and two together.

"Who?" Ratchet pressed her, concerned about where this was going.

Hailey paused with great unease, unsure if she should say it or not; glancing up at Bluestreak, he discreetly nodded in agreement, and swallowing her anxiety, she replied, "...Skywarp"

Before the other bots had a chance to object, Prime raised his hand and everyone paused in their tracks; no one spoke back as the Autobot leader glanced at them with an assertive look, the SIC, medic and his sister sat back in their seats as Prime regarded the gunner and humans with an intrigued look.

"I'm curious, why Skywarp?" Prime simply asked, slightly taken aback at his calm and collected response, Hailey let some of her anxiety go, and opened up a little more, explaining, "Well? When we were in the other universe, I first noticed Jay-jay seemed to want to be with Skywarp more than any of the other bots; I mean, yeah she loves Blue here, and Jetfire, Bee, Jazz, and a lotta the other guys too, but-...I don't know, she just likes _being_ around Skywarp more. And he doesn't mind her either, I mean it's not like he shoos her off or anything, when he's around you guys he puts on the tough guy routine, but when we're alone-, he's actually a pretty okay guy...". Hailey passed a deep sigh, as she decided to hell with it, and explained more frankly, "...Look, I know the stories you guys have told us about him, Thundercracker and Starscream, about how they were the three most feared seekers in all the Decepticon ranks and how they were utterly merciless in combat...Not to point out the obvious, but as I recall it's been _eons_ since you guys fought each other; I don't know what happened between then and now, but he _doesn't_ look like a merciless killer to me. And seriously; If he was lying about defecting Deathshot would've caught him out ages ago, there's nothing that gets past _that _guy, let alone Red Alert and he's a one bot lie-detector" she paused to take a breath, "...Listen; I know you guys aren't keen on the idea of trusting him, but honestly? If he _didn't want_ Jay-jay around, I would've known"

"...And you know this for a fact because?" Majestrix frowned sceptically

"...Gut instinct? Woman's intuition?, I'm not sure which, but all I know is he doesn't radiate bad vibes, and he doesn't treat Jay-jay the wrong way; if anything, I think he's _afraid_ to try being himself, in case you guys take it the wrong way" Hailey replied frankly.

Prowl, Majestrix and Ratchet glanced back and forth between each other sceptically, wondering if this young human hadn't taken leave of her senses; Prime dropped his gaze in thought for a moment, before leaning down a little lower, so as he was closer to her eye level. "...Do you believe he has what it takes to be a guardian?" he asked softly, Hailey considered the question carefully for a brief moment, before replying, "...I think, with time, patience, and the right encouragement; he can be a really great guy"

"And who do _you_ believe he really is?" he asked

A long moment of silence

"...I think..." Hailey tried to find the right words, "...A guy that lost his perspective to too much bad shit, and became damaged goods in the process; I know what it's like to try to be someone you're not, but for him? I get the impression that he _wants_ to try and do right, to atone and make up for all the bad shit that went down in the past, but because there's so much bad blood between you guys, I think he thinks that if tried, someone's gonna think he's up to something. He can't catch a break, not with the kinda austerity he has to put up with everyday on this base" she explained.

"And let's face it, if you're so keen to try and establish a peace between bots and cons, how can you be expected to pull it off if _you're_ the only one who's fully committed to preaching 'make love not war?' Becca pointed out.

Frowning in a mix of scepticism and keen incertitude, the three elder bots regarded the girl with an ounce of criticism; though they didn't voice their objections, the look in their optics told the girls they didn't approve. Except Prime, his face remained unreadable and he dropped his gaze and pondered on Hailey's opinion; as the girls began to grow uncomfortable under Majestrix's harsh gaze, he decided to take the intuitive on the subject and asked the girls: "...Would you mind if we talk with Bluestreak in private for a little while?"

Blinking in puzzlement, the girls looked at each other, and then at Bluestreak, who simply shrugged, having no idea where Prime was going with this. "Uh? ...Sure?" Hailey replied dubiously as she got up from the chair and climbed into her guardian's hand; he leaned down and placed her on the floor, followed by her sisters as they leapt off his shoulders and landed at her side. "...Uh? Do you want us to come back in when you're finished?" she asked.

"We can continue this later, for now, why don't you go and catch up with Jay-jay and Jazz in the rec room? We won't keep Bluestreak too long, I promise" Prime suggested, "Alright, see ya later Baby-blue..." Hailey waved him goodbye. "See you later sweetsparks..." he replied as he watched them leave; as soon as the door shut behind them, he turned round and nearly jumped out of his armour as he was now being stared down by a less-than pleased Majestrix as her crimson-red optics glowed with particular disapproval.

"Give me _one_ good reason I shouldn't recommend your charge for a psychological evaluation!" she growled

"Seriously Prime? Recommending one of Starscream's most trusted wingmen to be co-guardian to a _sparkling?_" Prowl interjected in equal disbelief

"_Former_ wingman! He's not a con anymore!" Bluestreak corrected him vehemently

"Defector in name only; that's no guarantee he's truly mended his ways!" Prowl snapped back

"He didn't get to be one of Megatron's most favoured seeker's for nothing Bluestreak; the number of bots he's killed and maimed kept him in Megatron's graces for a long time, you know this better than anyone! After what he did at the siege of Tress-Kall-"

"I know Ratchet! I was there!-" Bluestreak snapped, "...And that's why I'm scared, Hailey might _actually_ be right..." he sighed as a look of fearful doubt began to form upon his face plates; the others blinked in confusion.

"Explain" Majestrix pressed him

"...At Tress-Kall; when the cons finally broke through the fortress's outer walls and breached the inner defenses, that's when the seekers had enough room to manoeuvre, and Skywarp took the lead...I remember-..." his mind took him back to that terrifying day, and the memory of what happened played out like some terrible nightmare that refused to go away, "...Knowing this was going to be anything but simple...he was twisted, sadistic, _warped_ in the mind and utterly unpredictable. He gave us the pit that day, and I barely made it out of the ruins with my legs intact; but even after I got off one last round and blasted both his wings off, he still went down laughing like he loved it, like the pain was part of the fun for him...". He paused, twiddling his fingers anxiously before continuing, "...The memory of that day, of _him_, haunted me for many years after; seeing that look on his face, in his optics-, I didn't think such insanity could _ever _exist...But now?-" he activated the holoform-projectors in his optics, accessed one of the wireless signals from the security camera in the rec room and displayed a live feed of Skywarp and Jazz sitting together in the rec room chatting over a few cubes of energon; much to the other bot's surprise, they saw Jay-jay sitting contently on the seeker's shoulder, playing with one of her favourite toys. "...I honestly can't believe, or see how _that's_ the same con that took such delight in tearing bots to pieces; I'm more incline to think that's a Shifter sitting there in the rec room, and that the real Skywarp offlined years ago...and yet-", he sighed dubiously as he deactivated his holo-projector, "He_ is_ Skywarp; his PBF-ID coding proves he's not a clone, a remote controlled AI or a Shifter...And Hailey has a point, the last time we encountered him was at the battle of Dal-Corez 6, and that was well over 15 thousand years ago, _who knows_ what went on in all that time that we didn't know about"

"A valid point; but it's not steel-clad proof that his intentions are now innocent; this 'former' con has oceans of spilt energon on his hands, and the fact that he now wears our insignia does _not_ exonerate him of his past crimes" Prowl stated vehemently.

"I know that! And yeah, what he did in the past was unforgivable; but he wasn't the _smartest_ con in the Decepticon ranks, everyone on both sides _knew for a fact _that he couldn't do anything right without one of the other seekers there to help him, he had the attention span of an Insecticon and he always had the lousiest poker face! It's no wonder why Autobot intelligence pegged him as one of the best targets to capture and interrogate for data extraction besides Starscream and Soundwave...If this guy was really trying to deceive us don't you think Elita and the others would've seen through his farce the nano-second they picked him and Thundercracker up?" the young gunner reasoned.

"Like you said, 15 thousand years is a long time; what's to say Starscream didn't hand him over to Shockwave for one of his 'conditioning' procedures?" Majestrix asked sceptically.

"After the battle of Dal-Corez 6 Shockwave broke away from Starscream's main forces and retreated to the Regulon system; as far as we're aware he hasn't been seen outside of that system since. And Elita and Jetfire didn't pick up anything on their journeys to suggest that he's made his way to this system" Prime answered. Majestrix looked at him as if to say: why didn't you tell me? Regardless, she continued, "Well, in any case nothing's impossible; how do you know he didn't undergo intensive training for covert operations? How can you be sure he's not really a mecha-mole who's been sent to secretly gather intelligence on us and this base?"

"I don't..." was all Bluestreak found he could offer, "...There's a lotta things that don't make sense with him so I have to go on my 'gut instinct' on this one. And ever since we met in the other universe, it's been telling me that he's changed, somehow..."

"Are you sure that's your 'gut instinct'? And not wishful thinking for not wanting to oppose your charge out of loyalty to her?" Majestrix asked slyly.

"What? No! I trust Hailey! Just cuz she's young doesn't mean she-"

"-And you'd be willing to trust in _her_ judgement over past experience?" She interrupted him

"Yes! –I mean no! - I-, Gha! *sigh*" Bluestreak slumped in his seat as he rubbed his hand over his forehead in tense frustration.

"Majestrix is right Bluestreak, we do have experience..." Prime stated; a small look of satisfaction flitted through Majestrix's optics for a moment, "Which is why I'm incline to agree..." her brother continued; though it didn't show on her face or in her posture, her budding satisfaction was suddenly nipped and her train of thought came to an abrupt stop while Bluestreak blinked in surprise.

"What?!" The medic and SIC both exclaimed.

"Okay, now I'm thoroughly intrigued..." Majestrix purred

"I do have my own experiences with Skywarp, and from what I've seen I believe he has become, as Hailey puts it, 'damaged goods'...While the possibility of him undergoing training for undercover deployment holds probability, I find it very difficult to believe that someone of his 'lower-than average intelligence' is capable of committing to such an intensive mission, especially when placed among some of the sharpest minds in the Autobot ranks for a prolonged period of time. As Hailey correctly pointed out, Deathshot is one of the shrewdest, most perceptive Autobots around, and it would take someone of an equally sharp mind to be his equal, and Red Alert's diligence is hard to hide from too. I have no doubt that if there were any deception at work on Skywarp's part, they would've rooted it out by now...Plus, what Hailey said about the austerity towards him, and the other defectors for that matter, is true. If we are to make a future for our kind, we _must_ be willing to look past the divide that has defined Autobot and Decepticon; with the war over we _cannot_ continue to regard our fellow cybertronians as our rivals, not when they themselves have risked their lives and came to us in the hope of taking the first steps in helping to establish that peace. When they chose to defect, they were granted the same privileges and courtesies as all of us, including the opportunity to atone for past sins; despite our long-standing history, it is not for us to judge whether they are truly worthy of regaining their honour, only they can make that choice, and if they are not allowed the opportunity to discover that for themselves, then we are no different to any other oppressor who takes that freedom away so ignorantly" Prime stated wisely.

"Free run of the base with three square energon rations a day? That's hardly oppressing Prime, and is it any wonder that we all feel a little slagged at the fact that the two most infamous seekers of Megatron's closest ranks are being treated with such dignity, after all they've done to us over eons? You can't just expect us all to forget that and move on so lightly. Not when half of our brothers-in-arms are lying in pieces in the scrap heap because of them!" Prowl detested.

Prime sighed ruefully as he looked at his SIC with a look of woeful understanding, "...It is not the way of an Autobot to give in to his anger my old friend; though our losses have been great over the centuries our brothers fell fighting for the belief that one day we would achieve peace, and how can we honour their memories if we do not help to break the cycle of hatred? To allow pettiness and impulsive thinking to dictate our thoughts is to invite doubt, which soon leads to ignorance, and ignorance has an ugly way of turning into hatred. If we're to make this peace blossom, we must all be willing to rise above ourselves; to take a chance and allow our former foes to realise their potential for good"

Everyone sat in silence as Primes pearls of wisdom sank in; they all knew he made a valid point, and it was very hard to refute such moral reason, especially under the present circumstances; knowing the chances of persuading his leader otherwise where well and truly chucked out of the window, Prowl sighed heavily as his one last train of thought rolled through the forefront of his mind. "...Optimus, you know I'd follow you to the ends of the universe and back; but do you _seriously _expect me to just _forgive them_? ..." he pleaded softly. Prime studied the look in his optics; he knew what he'd lost, what had hurt him the most, and how it felt now. It must have been something akin to a slap in the face plates, after all that they'd been through, this was what karma was handing them? As Ratchet, Bluestreak and Majestrix looked on in silence, Prime turned to his SIC, and with a look spark-felt honestly, gently replied "...That is your choice Prowl, and I'm sorry if it is not the answer you were hoping to hear my friend..."

With a heavy sigh the black and white bot nodded in acknowledgment and made no further objections as Ratchet laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"...Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong, and if it takes the kind and courageous actions of a handful of human younglings to make us all see the light then so be it; even after all this time, when we think we know so much already, fate has a way of showing us that we never truly stop learning...Ask yourselves, are the words we profess and live by mere words? Or are they more? For so very long I have said that when the day of peace finally comes, it will be up to us to put the past behind us, and forgive those we call our enemies. If we cannot do this, if we cannot prove that we are better than those who refuse to learn from their mistakes, then we will have gained nothing and the war will _never_ be truly over. Heed the example the children have set, and seek wisdom in the kindness of their sparks my friends" Prime consoled wisely.

For a moment everyone sat in silence, before Bluestreak anxiously spoke up; "...So Um? Does that mean Skywarp gets to be Jay-jay's co-guardian?"

"...If he so chooses, then yes, but as a precaution I will assign you to watch over him, in case he needs guidance; but as co-guardian, he will take his orders from Hailey, understood?" Prime stated; the blue gunner nodded in acknowledgment.

"And if he declines?" Ratchet asked

"Then we will go over the list again, and let Hailey choose someone else..." Prime replied as he activated the holoform projector at the left of his desk and displayed the security feed from the rec room; it showed the Waineright sisters talking to Skywarp, and it looked like they had informed him of their prior conversation, as the seeker now had a look of surprise and confusion written all over his face plates. Jazz sat beside him in equal surprise, but Jay-jay continued to sit on the seeker's shoulder quietly, patting the armour plates, wiring and ligament cables than made up his neck. Mikaela, Sam, Miles and Tom seemed to have overheard the conversation as they, Bumblebee and Deathshot leaned in to listen more closely; no-one at the table seemed to express any objection or disliking to the Waineright's decision as the seeker sat there in confusion... he turned to look at Jay-jay, she smiled and giggled, and turned to look back at the girls. He said something Prime and the others couldn't make out, but by the way his lip plates moved Majestrix guessed must have been: 'seriously?'. As they watched the scene shift from sudden surprise to quiet optimism, Jazz patted the seeker on the back, and the kids all smiled as the seeker nodded nervously with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth plates.

"...You seriously think he can do it?" Ratchet asked with a raised optic ridge

"...He won't know until he tries; and in the end it won't be any major loss if he feels he's not up to the task. There're plenty of other bots on this base, someone's bound to be a good co-guardian" Bluestreak offered.

"True" Prowl shrugged

"Maybe? It would be best to consider this a trial period; give him a week or two, see what happens and if he meets all the requirements let the girl keep him. Like you said, it won't be any major loss; providing he doesn't screw up in the process" Majestrix suggested.

"I'm okay with that" Ratchet added

"I think I can agree to that" Prowl concurred reluctantly

"Then I'll clear his duty roster for the next two weeks; as for Hailey's training, I'll let you take care of the necessary details" Prime told Ratchet, who nodded in agreement, "...For the time being, we will exercise discretion in this matter. If anyone on this base has any objections to this arrangement, they will take it up with me, _not_ with Skywarp, is that understood? ..." he stated seriously, to which everyone nodded in agreement. "...Then if there are no other issues to discuss, you are dismissed" the Autobot leader stated, and Ratchet, Prowl and Bluestreak got up and left without a word. For a long moment Majestrix sat in contemplation as she watched the holographic feed of the seeker and his new little charge, her harsh criticising look had softened into an unreadable gaze with hardly any show of emotion. Prime's face was equally unreadable as he too watched the feed in fascination, and yet with deep thought as the questions of every possibility began to bubble up in the back of his mind, giving way to hope and doubt; hope that he could be right, and doubt that he _will_ be right, as the future can hold every possibility.

"...You know? He _was_ there when you were awakened from your stasis" Prime pointed out in a soft low tone

"...I know..." Majestrix replied in softer weary tone, "...That's why I still find it so hard to believe it's actually him..."

"Then what was the attitude for?" he raised an optic ridge as she got up from her seat and wandered over to the energon dispenser in the corner of the room.

"I was interested to see where it would go; there aren't that many that can hold it together in _my_ presence and carry on completely unafraid. I have to say, you did a fine job of teaching him how to do it right" She smirked as she poured herself a cube of energon.

"Bluestreak has always been resilient; and with what he's survived, I'm proud that he's been able to look pass all that has gone before, and still keep an open mind" Prime stated as she poured a second cube.

"You've always thought highly of him and Bee, and it shows..." his sister replied as she wandered back over, two cubes of energon in hand, and offered one to Prime, who accepted it with a discreet nod, "...But I'm more impressed, and intrigued by his charges. I only took a brief glance at the report on how those four first met, but it would seem fate has a strange way finding the best 'partnerships' in the most unlikeliest of circumstances" she smirked as she took a sip of energon.

"It seems to be 'karma' with us and the humans" Prime smiled offhand.

"Karma? ..." Majestrix frowned, taking a second to quickly look up the definition of the world on the internet, "...Oh..." she blinked in mild interest before turning back to the subject at hand; "...Well, 'karma' also seems to work in strange ways if Skywarp has found his way to us a changed mech...I don't hold doubt to the notion that he's different now, but still, it doesn't make sense" she frowned in speculation.

"Despite everything that happened in the past, is it too impossible to think that we are _all_ capable of change? For good or for worse?" Prime pointed out.

"For many of us yes, and I was no different; I'm as much for welcoming a peaceful future with open arms as you are Prime, but Prowl is right. After everything that's happened you can't just expect everyone to be as open-minded as you. There are a lot of bots on this base whose wounds haven't completely healed, and they _won't_ be in a forgiving mood" She replied

"I'm well aware of that, and my sympathies are with them; but we cannot allow old prejudices to dictate the course of the future. It is not our way to give into anger or revenge. You know this better than anyone"

"...I know..." Majestrix sighed heavily as she took a swig of energon, "...And it's not easy to sway from such a path..."

"Not easy, but not impossible. If Skywarp wishes to prove himself, then who are we to say he cannot try?"

"...Touché brother..." Majestrix smiled before something else came to mind, "...But one other thing; why 'Jay-jay?'; not exactly a typical name for a femme, or any cybertronian"

"She chose it herself apparently; that, and she resembles a blue jay..." Prime replied as he sent her a data-burst of the image of a blue jay; blinking in surprise at the striking resemblance, another smile graced the Prima's lips as she took another sip of energon, "Well well? How uncanny...Now, changing the subject, who is this 'Galloway?' I've heard so much about?"

* * *

Later that day:

"You're serious?" Thundercracker stared down at the younger seeker in dumbfounded disbelief.

"Dead serious! She just came up to me and asked: 'how would you like to be Jay-jay's co-guardian?'" Skywarp exclaimed in equal surprise, not quite able to understand it himself

"...And Prime made _her_ a guardian?" the older seeker pressed him

"Apparently; he approved her request this morning, she starts training first thing this afternoon, and I've gotta report to the med-bay for my introductory briefing, whatever that is?" the black and purple seeker replied; Thundercracker stared off into space as he wrapped his processor around the news. "...He approved a _human_ to be guardian to the youngling? I know Prime's got a particular soft spot for the little meat-sacks, but wow; I didn't think he'd be willing to place _that_ much trust in them" he said offhand.

"It's only her though, a strict one-off; seeing as Jay-jay's bonded to her the most he figured it would be easier to keep her rather than try to pair her off with someone else" Skywarp reasoned

"And you know that for a fact?"

"Well? I assumed that's what he figured?" the seeker shrugged

"Hey, what did we talk about assuming? _Never assume anything!_ When you assume you're liable to make an aft outta yerself!" Thundercracker wagged his clawed finger

"What's your problem? I thought you'd be glad Prime's giving me something important to do" Skywarp frowned

"...It's not that; it's just-..."

"Just what? ..." the younger seeker pressed him. The look in Thundercracker's optics told him there was something on his mind, something that wasn't sitting right with him; and although it seemed as if he wanted to confide in him, the older seeker said nothing, and sighed, "...I don't know..."

"You're worried the others will object? Cuz, I don't think this is gonna go down too well either"

"Doesn't take a genius to work _that_ one out-" the blue and white seeker sarcastically retorted, before taking a calming breath through his vents, "...But if Prime thinks this a good way to start 'building bridges' he might be getting too ahead of himself"

"You think this is a bad choice?" Skywarp asked in concern, Thundercracker looked at him for a moment, and asked: "...What do you think?...Do you actually _care_ about the youngling?"

"Jay-jay? ..." Skywarp thought for a moment, "...She's okay, I guess? I mean-, I don't _not_ like her, it's not like she's a nuisance or anything, and I don't mind her being around, but-"

"-But?"

"Well I don't know anything about how to raise a youngling! It's not even meant to be a permanent placement; it's just supposed to be until her creator comes outta stasis and can be-, well her creator again!" Skywarp panicked, "...Besides, I don't know if this is a good choice or not, but I'm not gonna turn down the opportunity to get into Prime's good graces"

"...Just, do me one favour"

"What?"

"_Don't_ screw it up! If you're not sure about something, ask; I highly doubt they'll be assuming you'll know what to do on your own"

"Hey, what was it you said about assuming?" The black and purple seeker smirked, to which Thundercracker grumbled something under his breath as he rubbed the side of his helm; "Look, you're _only_ the support capacity here! The girl's the one who's gonna be caring for the youngling, you've only gotta lift your hands and follow her lead, how hard could _that_ possibly be?" he deadpanned.

"Not too much I guess? ..." Skywarp shrugged, "But her guardian's also gonna be shadowing me, surly Prime doesn't think I'm _that_ stupid!" he scoffed

"It's not because he thinks your dumb, it's so that no one gets any ideas and decides to do anything 'unbecoming' of an Autobot behind Prime's back!"

"...Oh..." Skywarp realized what he meant, "But if any of the bots _do_ try anything, what should I do?"

"...I don't know, I'm gonna have to talk to Prime-" Thundercracker thought aloud, "In the meantime, just-, stay with their girl and youngling, keep yer head down and don't draw any attention to yourself okay? I'm not sure I'm keen on the idea but I wanna know what Prime was thinking when he thought you'd fit the mould for this job"

"Well you'll have to talk to him later, he and his sister are talking to the humans right now; their military leaders had a few diodes to pick with them..." Skywarp pointed to the huge hanger doors at the end of the corridor, the ones that lead through to NEST's central command center. Inside, the hanger was a mix of wide open space for the bots to park and transform, several docking bays for the maintenance crews to perform routine checks, and a series of walkways, balconies and stairways that allowed humans to traverse the base without having to worry about getting under the bots feet all the time. In the center of the hanger, a huge rectangular U-shaped raised platform served as the communications hub for the humans, while the bots communications hub sat behind them on a much broader platform. On the human platform next to the computer station, Will Lennox stood with a camera directed at his face, while one of the other soldiers held a microphone-like device pointed in Prime's general direction...

"So you just woke them up? Without permission?" Director Galloway exclaimed in annoyance, his sour expression coming through the live feed on the central monitor of the computer station

"_What_ permission?" Majestrix frowned, "They're _my_ bots, I don't require anyone's permission bar my brother's, and he _certainly_ doesn't take orders from you!"

"This is the _third_ time in as many years that you've openly invited your buddies to come on down without first vetting it with anyone at the White House!" the man fumed

"Let me stop you there Mr Galloway..." General Moshower interjected over the three-way feed, "Upon reading Major Lennox's initial report it was vetted right here. The 'DRD' incident was not something we could afford to wait on and we had to make an on-the-spot judgement call"

"Be that as it may, the fact that you guys didn't clear it with us has kinda left the President wondering what else you've been up to without official consent. Like allowing the so called 'ex-Decepticon defectors' to be granted amnesty?" Galloway pointed out, Will rolled his eyes in frustration; the man was being a pain in the ass, as usual.

"You're mistaking amnesty for sanctuary: Thundercracker, Skywarp and the drones came to us and defected of their own free will. As Autobots, we are obliged by the prime directive to offer all defectors and refugees sanctuary" Optimus stated

"And in what way does your President perceive that as a bad thing? We have _eight_ of Megatron's most trusted subordinates in our protection, _five_ of which were the creations of his top spy master. An opportunity such as that is _not_ something you pass up so lightly; and as Prime stated in his report their knowledge of Decepticon communications served NEST well in locating Jazz and the others through the DRD" Majestrix pointed out.

"And what _guarantee _do you have they're not really moles that've been sent to spy on us from the inside out?" Galloway contended

"None, but as commander of the 9 and former head of the Autobot Reconnaissance Division, I trained many of the Autobots best spies and double-agents; if our guests 'old habits' begin to rear their heads, I will simply snap them off before they have a chance to get up to any trouble" the Prima replied casually with a sugary sweet tone, "...and probably stick them on a pike to serve as an example" she added.

"Even so..." Galloway continued, not the least bit intimidated by her, "How do we know _you're_ not gonna get up to anything?"

"And what is _that _supposed to imply?" Majestrix asked incredulously, dropping the smile and frowning in annoyance

"Well? Megatron _was_ your twin brother wasn't he? How do we know _you're _loyalties didn't lie with him all this time and that you weren't keeping your 'little brother' on the side as a doormat?" he brazenly stated. Optimus's optics flew open in shock, as did Will and Epps, and every other soldier on the platform as Majestrix glared at the monitor with a look of absolute ire. Her crimson optics burned with all the fury of hell, her frame creaked as her systems heated up and steam began to rise from her helm and shoulders, and her fists clenched with such force that her talons screeched like fingernails on a blackboard. For a moment all the humans began to slow back away, as did the other bots, who began dreading what would come next. Luckily though, Prime stepped in before Majestrix had a chance to lose it completely; "-That accusation is _seriously_ uncalled for! My sister's loyalties are and _always have_ lied with the Autobots, and are above any form of reproach!" Prime angrily stated. Glancing at him, Majestrix silently thanked him, and with a deep cleansing breath through her vents, calmed her raw nerve and regained her composure as she approached the camera and directed it up at herself, with an unreadable look on her face, she stated in an equally unreadable tone: "...Galloway, let me be clear on this subject. My twin brother not only tried to offline me and Optimus; he ripped my youngest daughter's legs off and tried to carve both her and her sister's sparks out..." She frowned again, "...The price you pay, for bringing up the subject of my relation to my twin brother as a relevance to _any_ context is; I will collect your _head_... am I clear?"

"-Crystal..." Moshower interjected quickly, before Galloway had a chance to say something he'd regret.

"Good" was all Majestrix replied she returned the camera to Will's face, the man breathed a sigh of relief as he corrected its focus.

"Anyway-" Galloway returned to the topic at hand, "Besides the other details you 'conveniently' left out for reasons I don't know what; what's the state with the Briggs kid?" he demanded

"Which one? There _are_ four of them sir" Lennox pointed out

"The _youngest_-" the bureaucrat fumed, "You mentioned something about him acquiring a 'unique' piece of technology that can interface with organic tissue; care to enlighten us on _that_ one?"

"I'm afraid not" Prime stated

"Why's that?" Moshower asked curiously

"I'm afraid that technology has had to come under the heading of Autobot weaponry; the potential for it to be misused is far too great, and were it to be utilized by human science, the level of harm it could create would be irreparable. I'm sorry General Moshower but I _cannot_ disclose details"

"Major Lennox? ..." the general asked, glancing at him through the monitor, "I'm afraid he's right sir; it's a particularly sensitive subject with the potential to turn into something ugly if the wrong people get their hands on said technology" the Major replied promptly

"Wait a sec! Who're _you_ to judge what we can and can't have? If it's a technology that has the potential to keep our troops alive on the battlefield why keep it for yourselves?" Galloway demanded

"Because it could equally arm our enemies if it found its way to them too" Epps deadpanned dryly

"Excuse me soldier but you're paid to _shoot_, not talk okay?" Galloway curtly replied. "Do. Not. Tempt me..." Epps growled under his breath as he stepped off the platform, "Easy" Prime whispered as he allowed the man to step onto his hand and placed him on the floor. "-Under the classified Alien/Autobot Cooperation Act you're obliged to share all data and personnel with us, but _not _your weapons? Call me picky but that doesn't seem like a square deal to me" Galloway continued

"Well 'Picky', I've had a good look at your species 'track record', and in my opinion it wouldn't be a wise idea to let you have _anything_ more advanced than a shell casing" Majestrix replied coolly

"We have witnessed your capacity for war, and it would most certainly bring more harm than good" Prime added

"Besides, with no sign of the Decepticons for over two years we're not exactly in dire straits at the moment" Epps threw in.

"But that's not to say they won't return; with Starscream still lose there is always possibility of retaliation, if not for their fallen leader then as revenge upon the defectors" Prime pointed out

"_Another_ reason the President wasn't keen to approve the defectors request for 'sanctuary'" Galloway argued

"With all due respect, if the cons _do _return we're not as vulnerable as we were when NEST first started out; we've got _three_ Autobot ships, one of whom _is_ an Autobot himself, and with Majestrix's troops adding to the ranks we've got sixty plus Autobots stationed here. That's not something to sneeze at sir" Will explained

"Perhaps not, but the federal budget's certainly been feeling the pinch for keeping you and your space buddies happy!" the bureaucrat snapped, "Housing over forty Autobots isn't cheap as it is! And having to account for the extra expenses in the way of human resources isn't necessary either"

"Necessary? ..." Majestrix echoed sceptically, "You mean necessary in as much the tax money is directed to the appropriate administration to keep NEST's pockets lined; or necessary in that the children are surplus to requirement, and locking them up in federal prison is cheaper than having them placed on the NSC's classified agreements list? ..." she asked darkly.

"They're not military personnel and they sure as hell ain't good for anything else besides drinking lattes and driving their buddies around the desert all day! You say they're at risk from being attacked by the Decepticons? Well their not exactly running for their lives right now are they? And until such a time they need to be accounted for, what the hell are you keeping them on the base for?" Galloway argued back

"The prime directive states that an Autobot guardian shall _never_ leave their charge vulnerable to any possible danger. Have you already forgotten that incident with the Alice pretender Director Galloway? If Bumblebee hadn't been there to save Sam, he would have surely perished. The children are under our guardianship because we will not allow them or the rest of humanity to pay the price for _our_ war" Prime stated

"But you can't take in _every_ human that see's a Decepticon!" Galloway pointed out

"Well with sixty plus bots on the base I recon we can squeeze a good few in..." Majestrix joked before she turned serious again, "Galloway, the logistics of balancing the wealth of a country against the demands of a military budget may not be my forte, but I _do_ know a cheapskate when I see one..." she frowned in annoyance, "Trying to rid this organization of twelve promising human/cybertronian ambassadors in favor of saving costs is the first mistake in preparing for the unpredictable future; a drain on the resources bleeds an army of its ability of prepare, and those children are no less full of potential then the next rookie soldier that comes through the doors of this establishment. As unconventional as the partnership between humans and cybertronians is, it works; and I see the children's partnerships as investments worth nurturing. So who are _you_ decide they are not worthy of being part of this organization?"

"Who are _you_ to dictate what goes on? In case you forgot the President appointed _me_ to be director of NEST and what I say goes!" he stated angrily

"Oh really? ..." Majestrix drolled, "I'm sorry, I thought for a moment there you were actually _trying_ to intimidate me..." she smiled, slowly pacing around the platform and purposely walking into the background of the camera's line of sight as she continued; "...Galloway, I think you fail to understand that _not only_ has the last hour of your over-heated political fuss and self-puffery been surplus to requirement, but your attempt to try and establish 'who wears the trousers' here is ammeter at best-". The human's eyes flew wide open, no one, not even the other bots had stood up to Galloway like _this_ before; keeping his face as straight as possible without cracking a smile, Will grinned inwardly as he watched Galloway's face turn sour, with Moshower listening in equal curiosity, and satisfaction... "-I've had to deal with some seriously hard-cased slaggers down the ages, but _you_ sir have titanium for a skull!" she continued in droll tone, "- With all due respect to my brother and Major Lennox, _I_ 'wear the trousers' when _I'm _in command! And I have as much respect for bureaucracy as I do for anyone who disrespects the chain of command! If you're President is displeased with my _particular_ approach to commanding my troops then I want to hear it from his _own_ vocalizer; _not_ from the middle man whose job it is to provide our resources. If you wish to fall into my good graces Galloway I suggest you leave the important decisions to the military commanders and elected officials, instead of taking opportunities like these to tell us to 'suck it and get on with it'"

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Galloway stared at her through the monitor with ire.

"No, just pointing out that you're a little 'too big for your britches'" the femme smiled slyly, "-And FYI, don't _ever_ think you can intimidate the likes of me, putting little turbo-weasels like _you_ in their place is sport for me, and one I so _seldom _get to enjoy"

"Oh I see, you wanna bring it on?-" Galloway sarcastically smiled, "-Well let me tell _you_ something! With one phone-call I could have your diplomatic privileges suspended and all of you detained and incarcerated indefinitely! No NEST, no nothing! You Autobots have been a liability from the start, and now I'm inclined to think now more than ever with _you_ in charge!-"

"I'm _not_ in charge. Only _my_ troops answer to me, the rest of the bots are my brother's to command" she corrected coolly

"Whatever! The point is you guys have had way too much leeway to do whatever you want! First the post-Mission city pair ups, the second wave of Autobots, the twins prank-wars spilling outta control, the unauthorized kids being allowed onto the base _including_ Major Lennox's own daughter! The third wave of Autobots, and now, getting sucked into the fifth dimension and returning with a new batch of Autobots and a cache of human-alien hybrid technology, none of which you'll let us have! ... In fact, I can't help but wonder if we really need NEST? Our military forces are adequately equipped to deal with a potential Decepticon attack and we _have_ the resources to go the whole nine yards if we're in it for the long run!" Galloway defiantly stated; everyone in the hanger was left speechless, surly he wasn't serious? ...

"Hm..." Majestrix hummed in a blasé way, "Anything else you'd like to get off your chest plates? ..." she asked sweetly with that sly smile of hers. Galloway was about to blow his top when she beat him to the punch, "Threatening deactivation of the whole NEST organization, all for getting your ego deflated? My, you are the big man aren't you? ...I can see you and I are _really_ going to get along" she smiled before turning serious, "...Like I said, intimidation is redundant with me, and if you ever contemplate the notion of shutting down NEST I _will_ take action to ensure you go down with us"

"Like what? Sticking my head on a stick? You come within a thousand yards of me and I'll have your diplomatic privileges scrapped and have you hauled to the science lab to be broken down and ripped apart for scrap metal!" Galloway spat back

"Actually I was thinking more along the lines of sharing the details of your college graduation party 'antics' with the whole base, and your President..." she smiled; Galloway turned as pale as a sheet while the other humans present went bug-eyed. "...You know? the internet is a _fascinating_ human creation Galloway; go to the right places, and you can find _whatever_ you want..." she added innocently; like a gang of school-kids up to no good, the humans tried to stifle their giggles and sniggers as they watched the look on Galloway's face; even Moshower was trying his best to hide his amusement, while the bots smiled in sly satisfaction. "...But, resorting to such levels of pettiness is beneath us all, and I think we _all _owe to ourselves, and your President, to make the effort to work together in order to best defend this poor little planet from any would-be Decepticon attackers..." she smiled, trying to sound as innocent as possible, "...Providing we _all_ do our part, and don't let any power-trips go to our heads"

Knowing she had him by the balls, Galloway glared daggers at her as his face turned red with ire. "...What do you want?" he growled, Majestrix smiled, now the rest would be easy game, and she was enjoying it.

"Simply for you to do your job without forgetting your place; direct NEST from your little hole there in Washington and provide us with the relative resources and requirements we need to do our jobs, nothing more nothing less. Any 'advice' of a crucial nature vetted on the part of the White House will be heeded of course, but _only_ if it concerns the Decepticons and anything that threatens the lives of human civilians; anything that comes under the heading of 'window dressing' will _not_ be necessary. And furthermore, the expenditures of NEST's annual budget are _you're_ problem, gripping about them to us isn't going to resolve them nor is whining about the 'discipline problems' of some of the more 'zealous' bots; if there are any discipline issues to address, I will see to them _personally_..." she glanced at the Lambo and Chevy twins with a particularly stern glair, to which they swallowed hard with dread, "Other than that, I don't think we have any other issues at this time that require your 'picky' attention"

"That's all?" he sarcastically replied

"Unless you have anything to add, no" the femme smiled in satisfaction

"Only one, I _really_ don't like you..." he seethed

"And I don't much care for you, so its karma..." she gloated, "But as a courtesy, for the sake of human/cybertronian relationships, I will not take this little 'conversation' personally...But I _do_ take notes..."

"And what's _that _supposed to mean?"

Majestrix glanced at him with a knowing look; "...There's a saying the humans of the nation of 'Scotland' have: Forgive your enemy, but remember the bastard's name...Quite sound advice, wouldn't you say?" she smiled. For a moment Galloway said nothing as he glared at her, knowing she wasn't going to let him have the last word (let alone win this little standoff) he sighed in annoyance and grumbled, "...We'll be keeping an eye on things from here". And with that, the live feed from his end went dead; "He's signed off sir" one of the human soldiers stated as he reconfirmed the online security checks. Everyone took the brief opportunity to bask in the femme's aura of satisfaction as she smiled broadly, her pale silver shark-like teeth glistened as she strolled around to her brother's side; but Prime simply stared at her with a dry reprimanding look...

"...Oh don't look at me like that, I was doing you a favour-" she waved off, unconcerned by his disapproval. "Besides, he needed a good whipping; underlings like him should know their place in the order of power, _not_ believe themselves to be above it" she added in a more serious tone.

"I agree Galloway is prone to overstepping the mark at times, but we _cannot_ afford to be on bad terms with him; not if we wish NEST to continue without further political hindrance" Prime pointed out

"I agree with you on that point Prime, but I also have to agree with Majestrix; why the President made Galloway his national security adviser is one thing, but being appointed to direct a black-ops outfit like NEST is something we here at the Pentagon where skeptical about from the start; his subsequent 'handling' of the day-to-day running of Area 52 has got us wondering if he's really in this for the right reasons" Moshower said frankly.

"You suspect Galloway has ulterior motives?" Prime raised an optic ridge in dubious scepticism

"Not in the illegitimate or illegal terms, and although he's done everything by the book, at the end of the day he's a political thinker, not a military strategist or generalist. We too have an old saying: no matter how far a jack-ass travels it'll never come back a horse; and even though he's been director of the organization for over two years now, the Joint Chiefs of Staff are kinda hard-pressed to think he truly appreciates what means to be out there in the field and see the action first-hand, especially after that DRD incident"

"Are you sure that's not your sweet little way of saying: you suspect his disdain for us clouds his logical reason and thus doesn't influence his reports in an 'overblown' manner?" Majestrix purred with a smile.

"Let's just say, he could be a little more _prudent _about it..." Moshower replied

"Somehow, I highly doubt he's going to have an attack of conscience; very few bureaucrats of his particular ilk do. It comes from spending too many years behind a desk and after a while they forget that statistics are real people, and handling them becomes no different to handling turbo-rats on a plague ship. If it takes on average around a hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the US military to train a human soldier to the point of adequate combat proficiency, he's not going to want to take out the additional expenses simply because he wants to make a point. Being in charge, he thinks he's untouchable, and that holding the budget over us as a means of keeping us in line is going to get us to bend to his will. That. Is unacceptable in my 'books'" Majestrix reasoned

"Is that why you were pushing all his buttons back there?" Moshower asked

"It pays to know where one's raw nerve is situated, and where one's weaknesses lie; and it certainly never hurts to have a means of 'discipline' in place for when they get a little too ahead of themselves" the femme smiled

"As reasonable as that sounds, I'm afraid that 'discipline' also constitutes as blackmail, and we don't take too kindly that; even if it's against those we don't much favor" Moshower pointed out

"Technically speaking, it can't be proved to be 100% conclusive if its plausible deniability; and if getting overloaded on alcohol is anything like getting overloaded on high-grade, then it certainly doesn't make good logic to want to boast of your 'wasted' revelry when you can't completely account for every single minute you were there" Majestrix smiled

"Then?, How did you-"

"I didn't _have _to-" she interrupted "Let's just say his 'ex-girlfriend' still has a few diodes to pick with him concerning their 'post-graduation engagement', and she wanted to make sure _everyone else_ on Facebook knew about it too"

"Ah..." Moshower realized what she implied; as did the rest of the hanger as everyone tried to hold back their surprise (and laughter), "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned; and you've certainly got some on you..."

"A very sound point, and one most would do well to remember" the femme smiled with wicked gleam in her optics

"That. I have no doubt about, especially if it's a 'woman' like you..." a male voice replied, realizing it was a human male who spoke, the bots attention was instantly drawn to the mystery human standing before them at their feet...

"...And who in the pits of Kaon are _you_?" she frowned curiously as the stranger climbed up the ladder-steps to join the other humans on the platform. His dark green suit told them he was a commissioned Army officer and the silver eagle pinned to his uniform indicated he was a Colonel. But it was his face that immediately drew everyone's attention; across the bridge of his nose and running halfway down his right-side cheek was a short ridged scar, the kind that only a piece of stray shrapnel could make, and on the extreme right side of his face running all the way down from the top of his temple to his jaw was an even longer scar (possibly the result of a knife fight? It looked clean enough to be done by a blade). His dark eyes held a stark piercing stare, as if they could cut into whatever or whoever he gazed upon, and his tall broad frame told them he could easily hold his own in a fight; this guy was no rookie, not by a long shot, and he certainly didn't look the naive type either. As he stroked back his silver buzz-cut and straightened his posture, he came up to Lennox and extended his hand...

"Please forgive my tardiness, I would've come sooner but my flight was delayed" he spoke in a deep smooth voice; Will blinked in surprise as he shook the man's hand, his tight grip took him aback a little as it felt like he would yank it right off his wrist...

"Oh yeah; I'm sorry you must be-"

"-Colonel Leland Bishop; your new official liaison for the Pentagon" he smiled; "Sir!-" Will and the other humans stood to attention and saluted. "At ease soldier, I'm not here to take charge, at least not of the field missions anyway. My job is to keep an eye on things and make sure the White House doesn't get too wound up about what goes on out in the field" Bishop stated coolly.

"Colonel..." Moshower discreetly nodded, "General" Bishop returned the gesture.

"Good flight?"

"As well as could be expected for civilian air travel"

"I take it you were listening in on Galloway's little 'conversation' back there?"

"Oh yes, and I have to say-" Bishop glanced up at Majestrix with a satisfied smile, "You're not one for bleeding hearts"

"Oh please-" Majestrix waved off in a flattered manner, "I eat them alive for breakfast" she smiled

"You're not alarmed; are you not surprised to see us?" Prime asked curiously

"On the contrary, I was already briefed on you and your troops before I came here; and I hate to disappoint you but you're not the first surprise I've seen today. I've already had a firsthand glimpse at your ships" he replied in an unreadable tone.

"Well, if you're already debriefed and ready to go Colonel, we'll leave you to it; Prime, Lennox" The General bade farewell, then his live feed switched off and the monitor went black.

"So you're the new 'den-mother' hm? ..." Majestrix approached the platform for a closer look, "Something tells me you're more of a 'hall-monitor'"

"Not at all ma'am, I'm here to keep the Pentagon abreast of things here; Galloway may have been the President's first choice for National Security Advisor, but he wasn't the JCS's. And his track record at handling things here has somewhat left a bland taste in everyone's mouths. The White House still holds the final say on we can and cannot do, but as an above-classified military organization the Pentagon is still in charge, and they wanted someone to give an unbiased and 'non-red tape' opinion of life here at NEST" Bishop stated.

He never wavered or flinched, not even once; in fact, he didn't seem to be put off by the bots imposing sizes at all. 'Most unusual' Majestrix thought to herself as she carefully studied the man, he was still and calm, as if he'd known them for a very long time; his silvery-grey hair told her he was old by human standards, but no so old he could be retired within a year. He must've seen his fair share of combat for the signs of old age to set in at such a mature age; humans seem to age more quickly when placed under stress for prolonged periods of time, a curious fact of their biology by cybertronian standards, and if this one had been out in the trenches for most of his career then it was a safe bet he'd seen the worst of it too, as his scars seemed to testify so starkly. But what really caught Majestrix's notice were those eyes; his gaze that told her right away he was studying her as much as she was studying him, and his poker face wasn't giving anything away either...

This was going to be interesting...

"How prudent..." Majestrix replied with a smile, "And tell me, what is your first impression thus far?"

"That to underestimate you would be an impertinence of the highest order" he stated confidently

Majestrix smiled "You'll do just fine here"

"I'm glad to hear it; now if you'll excuse me, I've to go find my office" he gave a discreet nod and turn to leave, "Major, if you please? ..." he gestured for Will to follow him, and the two left the platform and exited the hanger.

From where he sat crouched low on one of the hanger's support beams, Ravage turned one ear in curiosity. 'Well? This_ is_ interesting...' he thought to himself as he got up and silently slipped away back into the air vent where he'd crawled out from. And as silently as he'd arrived, he was gone.

* * *

R&R Please!


	7. Chp 7: Opportunities & Introductions

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.

* * *

TOMORROW IS FOREVER COMING

Chapter 7: Opportunities & Introductions

"... You're serious?" Sam asked sceptically

"I'm very serious" Colonel Bishop replied frankly

"An internship with NEST?" Miles exclaimed

"I like to think of it more as an exercise in 'practical diplomatic relationship dynamics' as far as the cybertronian side of things is concerned; but on the human side yes it would fall more into the profile of an internship" the Colonel clarified

"Even though none of us here are enlisted? That's kinda unconventional" Mikaela pointed out

"NEST is an unconventional organization, and from what I've heard you all proved more than capable of handling yourselves, both professionally and personally; as Major Lennox's report about your 'otherworldly' adventure so dramatically illustrates"

"You-, know about that?" Glen blinked in surprised

"I was fully debriefed on the circumstances of the 'DRD' incident; and what happened following your 'cosmic misplacement', and I have to say, for ones so young you were all exemplary in your commitment and conduct; much more competent than some rookies I've come across in the past. And seeing as your partnerships with your guardians are already so well established, I see no reason why we cannot utilize those friendships for the benefit of NEST's goals" Bishop stated

"By commissioning them as diplomats for humanity? ..." John asked sceptically from where he sat in the corner of the office, his sharp wolf-like eyes not leaving Bishop's presence for a second, "Forgive me for sounding negative, but after everything that's happened I'm not keen to see my son, nephews and niece go out in the field and risk coming home in coffins"

"I understand your concern, and they won't be joining Lennox and the other members of NEST in _any_ live fire combat..." Bishop turned his attention back to the kids, "-As diplomats, your duties will include the handling of any Decepticons wishing to defect, the integration of the new Autobots and teaching them our human customs, as well as any other Autobots who manage to find their way to earth. But more importantly, Prime believes that our 'human leaders' need to be reminded of the trust we share with our cybertronian friends, and I'm inclined to agree" he explained frankly.

"A good point, but what's the catch?" Morri asked

"The catch is you'll be required to undergo a basic fitness test and attend a basic firearms exam; at the very least I want to sure you can haul your asses and know how to take care of yourselves if anything unforeseen happened. Other than that, you'll be required to remain with your guardians and perform any odd-jobs and necessary tasks that need attending to here on the base"

"So? You only need us to try and sweet-talk any ex-cons into joining team Prime? And the rest the time we're interns who _actually_ get paid? Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me" Miles grinned

"Providing you can shoot straight" Mikaela deadpanned dryly

"That's if _any _of us can shoot straight; Will-, I mean, Major Lennox already knows how _I_ feel about handling guns, of any kind. In that other universe I never fired single shot but I still managed to help bring down the Spark Eater..." Darren pointed out, "-Look, I'm not saying I'm not keen on this, if anything I'm kinda glad someone _finally_ took the intuitive to come up with this idea, it's been way overdue. It's just-, there's always another way to resolving a tough situation that _doesn't_ require the use of a gun" he sighed, John watched carefully as the Colonel considered the boy's words, and dropped his gaze in a sense of understanding.

"That's very true..." Bishop nodded in agreement, "And for those of us who know how to think our way out of a tight situation, there's always another means that doesn't have to involve the use of violence. But sadly, for all the planning and precautions we take, fate can change the whole game-plan in a heartbeat; and considering the 'unpredictable' nature of our friends long-term enemies, we have to take every _conceivable _precaution to ensure that our personnel stay safe. It's more of a formality, for Prime's peace of mind, as well as everyone else's" he softly reasoned; the kids glanced at one another and shrugged. He did make a reasonable point; with the bots enemies still out there anything could happen, perhaps it couldn't hurt to air on the side of caution?

"...One question; what does Prime think about this?" Morri asked

"He's cautious; we both agree this would be a good opportunity to try and set the long term 'peace plan' into action, but he wants to leave some precaution in place should any unforeseen issues arise, which I agree is a prudent move. To that end he's willing to approve these new 'diplomatic internships' on one strict condition" the Colonel stated

"Which is?" Tom raised an eyebrow

"That you all take your orders _directly_ from him and Major Lennox; this may be very unorthodox as far as the Alien/Autobot Cooperation Art is concerned, but this way we'll be able to conduct our mission objective with as little red tape as possible..." Bishop hesitated slightly, before his tone turned more venerate, "...I know that must sound somewhat 'deceptive', and personally I don't like having to give the appearance that we're sneaking around the President's back. But the truth is we _cannot_ afford to have bureaucrat's like Galloway dictate outright what we can and cannot do; try as we may we won't be able to completely control every situation that falls into our jurisdiction, and while the White House is half expecting world war three to come to our doorstep, we have to look at the possibility that diplomacy _can _work, provided it's given the right opportunity. That, or we risk putting more lives in danger...Of all the humans on this world, no one knows the Autobots better than all of you; you know how they think, how they feel, and vice versa they know you all just as well. You both have a connection that's based on friendship, _not_ an obligation, you're both accepting of each other's differences and you're both objective and unprejudiced in the short-comings of each other's social mannerisms. For all intents and purposes you are the living proof that peaceful co-existence _is_ possible between us and the cybertronians, and if Prime is looking to show any more ex-cons that there is a better way to live besides fighting and bloodshed, then he'll need you at his side to prove that point"

For a moment the kids sat in silence as they contemplated Bishops words...

"...I can see why Prime took such a liking to you" John commented in an unreadable tone.

"It's not a question of just wanting to prove a point, it's about thinking what's best for everyone and the future at large; and it makes better sense and logic to want to find a way that doesn't involve needless loss of life" Bishop stated coolly

"I agree; but I'm still not convinced" the Royal Marine replied frankly, Morri glanced over her shoulder at him; why was he being like this? Ever since the start of the meeting he'd been hard to please from the start; sure this was a big deal, but he _knew_ she and the others can handle themselves, what made this different? Deciding to keep her opinion to herself, she focused her attention back to the Colonel who regarded her uncle with a respectful gaze: he knew he wasn't going to lay all the man's doubts to rest, being a father and uncle it was his job to worry, and nothing would persuade his paternal instincts otherwise.

"I know, and I'm sorry I can't do more to alleviate your worries; but there are some things I will state so there's no doubt on how this all stands. The job is non-applicable to minors; I'm sorry you two but until you both turn eighteen, I'm afraid you can't apply..." Bishop stated, Becca and Becky looked at each other and sighed in disappointment, to which Hailey wrapped her arms around their shoulders to try and comfort them.

"With my current 'situation' I guess it's not applicable to me either huh?" Ashley sighed. Bishop regarded the tall broad sphinx-like hybrid and sighed, "Considering we still don't know enough about your 'unique' situation to make a safe decision, we don't want to take any unnecessary risks; plus technically you're underage too, so the job is none-applicable until you turn sixteen"

"What? We have to wait 'till we turn eighteen but he only has to wait four more years?" Becca exclaimed in surprise, "What gives?" Becky demanded

"'What gives' is that the legal age of consent in Britain is sixteen, and since Ashley and his family aren't American citizens they're still bound by British law, even on American soil" Bishop explained

"Oh" the girls blinked in surprise

"Hang on, I'm fifteen so I'm underage too, why am I the acceptation?" Darren asked

"Because you're already on NEST's payroll; technically you can apply for the internship by default of the NSC agreement's policy on extending additional 'supply and demand': you'll have to reread the footnotes" Bishop replied.

"Okay; but that aside, any other 'requirements' we have to meet?" Mikaela asked

"Only that you must be punctual, professional, and flexible; aside from your off-duty hours you'll be required to keep your schedules running and on time, if there's any falling behind it'll be _everyone's_ time you waste, _not_ just your own. This job is not just an internship, you'll be given serious responsibilities and I expect you all to live up to them. To make sure you all acquire a varied and dynamic set of 'work-skills' you'll all be placed on a rotating duty roster so you'll be working alongside the bots and other troops. You'll be doing everything from mandatory security checks, medical and mechanical maintenance in the med-bay and engineering labs, training with the bots in basic non-live fire combat exercises, and managing basic resources in the living quarters and residential block. If, in the event we do get any more defectors you'll be posted on stand-by, and if you're called to help mediate the defections you're to follow Prime's instructions to the latter and carry on any follow-up orders; is that understood? ..." Bishop stated; everyone nodded

"Then in that case, what do you say?" he offered openly, the kids looked at one another with optimism. Except for Morri, who gazed at her uncle with slight doubt, but he instantly picked up on her concern for him and discreetly nodded with an easy look in his eyes; as if to say: it's your choice, it's okay either way. Slightly relieved, she turned back and asked: "One more question, what're you going to tell Galloway?"

"Don't worry, I'll handle him; I doubt he'll take kindly to it but I want to lay to rest any notion that your age dictates your behaviour"

"He's_ that_ stereo-typed?" Mikaela exclaimed incredulously, "I know he's a jerk but-, jeez" she sighed

"Dude, that's so not on" Miles concurred as he folded his arms in annoyance

"Hell man I'll take the job just to stick it to the noob" Glen added in equal annoyance.

The Colonel noticed the look on Darren's face, the subject of the firearms exam hadn't left his mind, "...Just the _one_, firearms exam? ..." he asked tentavely. "Just the one" Bishop nodded, Darren considered it for a brief moment before replying, "...Okay"

"I guess, aside from Becca, Becky and Ashley that's all of us" Danny thought aloud as he looked around the office and saw no one else seemed to hold any objections. "Aw come on what's to object to here? We get to work with our bot-bros, do something way more productive with our time, don't have to worry about getting our heads blown off, and actually get paid for our efforts. That's a pretty sweet deal to me" Hailey piped in

"Agreed" Sam smiled

"Seconded" Miles replied

"Third" Mikaela concurred

"Forth" Darren nodded

"Fifth" Morri agreed

"Sixth" Tom agreed

"Seventh" Danny smiled

"Eighth" Glen grinned

"And ninth!" Hailey chimed, all in rapid succession; to which everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Alright then..." Bishop smiled, "In that case, report to the base's human resources unit to receive your uniforms and then report to my office at 1400 hours to sign the paper work" he stated as he got up from his chair and headed for the door

"Uniforms?" Miles blinked in surprise

"But of course, if you're going to be working on this base I expect you all to look professional; now if you'll excuse me, I've got other business to attend to...Sergeant..." Bishop regarded the Marine with a discreet nod and promptly left the room.

* * *

Later that day:

"...You okay?" Deathshot asked,

"Yeah, it's just a little snug for my liking is all..." Morri replied as she undid the Velcro strap around her collar and readjusted it; the uniform was certainly in-keeping with the whole 'black-ops look' of NEST (as Hailey put it), a typical black and dark grey US combat style suit that had been altered to look more casual. Overall a little more 'stylized' in a sense; personally Morri thought it kind of looked like something out of Star Wars or some obscure sci-fi manga, or... She stopped, "...You know, it kinda reminds me of the Major..." she thought aloud, Deathshot blinked in realization as to whom she was referring to, and smiled softly, "Yeah, she'd approve of that little uniform"

"I'd have been shocked if she didn't; with half the stuff she wore I'm amazed Glen didn't get any nose bleeds-" she chuckled as she finished readjusting the collar until finally it fitted more comfortably; as she steadied herself on the sniper's shoulder, she noticed the NEST insignia on her sleeve, and the Autobot insignia above it. "...It feels weird..." She thought aloud

"What? Being ambassador for both our people? I'd have thought you'd be happy?" the mech blinked in surprise

"No no I am, I _really_ am! Its just-..." she hesitated momentarily, "Well, Bishop hasn't been on the base twenty four hours and he's already fits in like he's been here forever. I can't make up my mind whether he's really tugging at the reins and getting too ahead of himself, or if he _really _knows what he's doing, and-..."

"And what?"

"...I don't know" she sighed, unable to spit out what her thoughts were trying to make sense of, ", he just strikes me as a real dark horse; doesn't give much away you know?"

"I know what you mean..." the sniper replied, frowning slightly in thought, "I only got to meet him briefly this morning, but right away I could see he's not one to confuse praise for license; but what struck me most was how _still_ he was"

"A room full of bots and he doesn't even blink? Not even around Majestrix? What're the chances of someone having the bottle for a first-time intro like that?"

"It's uncanny, considering he's never met us before"

"Still, at least we know where views on you guys stand; so that's one less arsehole to worry about" Morri reasoned, "...Personally, I'd be interested to see how well he does round here; he's already got Majestrix swept off her feet-" she smiled as she glanced over at the Colonel and Majestrix, who seemed to be laughing over something amusing while Optimus stood nearby with a small smile on his lips, "And he's managed to impress Prime in one fail-swoop"

"He's discerning, shrewd, not too particular; and yet his frankness lends to his humanity in a hardened way" Deathshot observed

"...You think that might have something to do with how he got those scars?"

"I took a quick bio-scan of his face and did a little research on the internet. The soft tissue damage that would create scars of that particular severity can be easily treated with simple cosmetic surgery to lessen their appearance" the sniper replied

Morri blinked in surprise, "...So? Why keep them?"

"Scars are nature's way of reminding us that we survived the past; and they're the reminders we have to carry so as not to make the same mistake twice"

"But what mistake could be so profound that you'd _want_ to remind yourself of it every day when you look in the mirror?"

"...You'd be surprised..." Deathshot sighed as he dropped his gaze in rueful thought.

"*Ahem!*, If I may have your attention please? ..." Majestrix announced to the whole hanger; all at once the chatting died down to a silence and everyone listened as the Prima addressed the entire Autobot army and NEST Platoon. "As I'm sure you've all been informed, my troops have been in quarantine for the last seventy two hours, and during that time they have been briefed and brought up to speed on current events. Not a moment ago I just received confirmation that the last of the quarantine procedures has been completed, and they are now finally ready to meet the rest of their brothers-in-arms..."

A wave of excitement rippled through the whole crowd as everyone was suddenly excited at the prospect of meeting the new arrivals.

"...Needless to say, things have changed a great deal in the last twenty five thousand years; the war ran its course as such and we were not there for the better part of it. To suddenly wake up and learn that Cybertron and the war had been lost was, well? I think we can all relate; but unlike many of you who've come to accept our present circumstances, my troops might take a little longer to adjust and adapt to the fact that earth is now our home, so please; all I ask is that you be thoughtful, understanding, and patient. Now, if you'll follow me, I will make the necessary introductions..." She said as the she lead the way out of the hanger, and proceeded towards the 'open-air' hanger where the Autobot ships were stationed. A lot of the younger bots pushed and nudged their way to the front so as to get a better view while their elders simply hung back and followed in their own sweet time, many of the humans scattered to the suspended walkways so as to avoid getting stepped on while the kids took to their guardian's shoulders for a prime view. As they spilled out into the open-air hanger, the sinister form of the Black Solstus loomed overhead like a shadow without its master; approaching the rear of the ship, the lowest-most access ramp slowly lowered down to the ground and came to rest with a soft THUNK! Inside, the ship was blacker that night, no one could make out anything, but through the gloom the distinct glow of optics could be seen blinking and gazing out into the sunlit air. Both the Lambo and Chevy twins grinned in eager anticipation, as did Bumblebee, Bluestreak, Hot Rod, Cliffjumper, Brawn, Jazz and Trailbreaker who all stood at the front with everyone else behind them. On the extreme left of the ramp, right at the back of the gathering, both the ex-con seekers discreetly kept their heads lowered and tried their best to look inconspicuous as possible as they stayed behind Botanica's large trailing tree-train while Ravage and his brothers sat perched on one of the Black Solstus's rear thrusters, well out of anyone's reach.

"Now, before we meet the crew, first I'd like to introduce my family; starting with my eldest daughter: Eclipse..." Majestrix announced, gesturing towards the ramp; right on cue, the sound of metallic footsteps echoed out from the gloom as said femme emerged... She was a real sight to behold; decked in deep rich purples from head to toe with bright white breast, neck and face plates, her armour was sleek and sharp with curved tapered edges that look like blades running up and down the length of her body, her helm sported a sleek 'horned crown' shape, making her look particularly intimidating. Her left optic was a bright sky blue while her right optic was a deep lavender purple; her bone white face was decorated with elegant black markings around her optics, and certain parts of her armour looked as if they were made of amethyst as they looked more crystalline than metal, on her back were an elegant set of swallow-shaped jet wings with a smaller set of forewings plus a set tailfins that reached down to her ankles. As she stepped out into the sun her armour glistened like amethyst crystals, and her elegant curves stood out against her wings as she flexed them out. The young mech's stood in stunned silence as their sparks started beating about in their spark chambers; unable to divert their optics away from the object of their keen interest; but Eclipse paid no attention as she stepped forward and joined her mother at her side. "-Leader of our reconnaissance unit, and my most proficient scout" Majestrix smiled as Optimus stepped forward to introduce himself, "You remember you're 'uncle' Optimus, don't you Eclipse?"

"Of course:" the femme replied tonelessly, "It is good to see you again sir"

"And I you young one" he smiled, "It will be an honor to have you serve with us"

"Please, the pleasure is mine" she replied impassively with a respectful bow; from where he sat on Bumblebee's shoulder, Sam was taken aback at what little emotion the femme displayed for her uncle; you'd think after being apart for so long, one would be overjoyed to be reunited with their family again? But here, this femme regarded him more as a strict commander than a dear relative. 'Hm, must be one of the hardcore types' he thought to himself; some individuals were not so good or comfortable at showing their emotions well, that was the way they were, and that was okay (?). He let the notion go and watched in fascination as Majestrix continued: "She has served me very well these past eons, and I know she will be a fine scout to you too dear brother..." the Prima smiled proudly, "Now, my second eldest, Moonshine-"

"-Moonshine?" Miles grinned as he tried to fight back the laughter that threatened to burst out, "Oh this I gotta see!"; "Ditto!" Sam giggled. The femme glared at them with a stern look, instantly shutting them both up, Mikaela elbowed her boyfriend with a particularly reprimanding look too, to which he didn't protest.

"-Is my applied sciences designer..." Majestrix continued

"Applied sciences?!-" a feminine voice exclaimed incredulously as the second sibling came sauntering down the ramp like a supermodel on the catwalk. This femme was even more stunning, even more so by the fact that she was a dragon! Long, sleek and serpent-like with rich luscious purples and dark blues with a vivid set of bright green optics, she sported a huge double set of butterfly-like wings, a set of long whip-like antennae and a row of soft spine-like fins running down her back and tail and on the sides of her jaws; she walked on her hind legs in a very human-like manner before transforming. In femme-mode her dragon head rested above her breast plates while her humanoid face and neck were radiant white with rich purple lip plates, her jaw fins formed a dainty shoulder cape over her upper arms while her huge main wings formed a long elegant train-like cape flowing down her back while her smaller wings hugged her waist and hips, forming a sleek gown-like hem that draped over her long clawed feet. Her back fins had gathered up into the back of her sleek horned helm, forming into long flesh-like dreadlocks while her long whip-like tail curled out behind her, whipping back and forth with every step.

"Mother dear, I produce beauty-divine in functioning form, 'applied sciences' makes it sound so drab!-" she drolled in a posh British accent as she strode up to the gathered bots. "-Uncle Optimus!" she gasped in delight as she suddenly recognised Prime; she bound up to him with a real spring in her step and threw her arms around him. "It's good to see you too Moonshine!" Prime gasped as he managed to pry one his arms loose from her tight bear-hug and pat her on the head, she let him go and suddenly noticed the hot-rod flames on his chest plates, "Oh, you kept the red and blue-" she smiled tenderly, "I always said they were your colours, but hot rod flames?"

"I like them, I find they suit me" he smiled

"You always did fancy yourself a bad-aft" she grinned playfully. Everyone watched in a mix of dumbfounded disbelief and tittering delight, not quite sure what to make of the bright and bubbly femme; Miles stared at her in a mix of every emotion and wasn't entirely sure which one to use. On the one hand she was stunningly beautiful; but, her name just kept tugging his lips into a crazy smile; for a moment he almost lost track of what was going on as Majestrix introduced her youngest daughter...

"-And you remember my youngest, Novastar, don't you Optimus?" she smiled

"Little nova?" Prime blinked in surprise as said femme appeared at the top of the ramp; unlike her siblings, this little femme was much more nervous as she made her way down the ramp. As all eyes and optics locked onto her, she didn't seem comfortable being stared at; but was it any wonder? She was as beautiful and elegant as her sisters; decked in bright dandelion yellow and rich purple with radiant pink optics, her armor was as sleek, sharp and smooth as her elder sister's with snow white face, neck, forearm and midriff plates. With a double set of sleek tapered jet wings, tailfins, and a smooth swept back helm, she radiated with splendor, and at the same time, there was a sort of sweet demure daintiness about her, like a delicate flower...

As she nervous approached Optimus and greeted him; time and everything else seemed to fade into nothingness as Skywarp stared at her in dumbstruck awe; her radiance, her beauty, her sweet smile, his spark felt like it had sprouted wings of its own and had taken flight to the heavens, singing a song of joy and passion as he sighed in adoration. As time seemed to stop altogether, she spotted him through the crowd; they stared into each other's optics for what felt like eternity, and then...she smiled at him...

"Hey!-" Thundercracker shook him on the shoulder; reality snapped back into place and the moment had pasted, Skywarp did a double take as his processor tried to remember what was going on; "Uh? What?" he raised an optic ridge; "What the slag were you gawking at? Close your cockpit!" the older seeker whispered. Looking down, Skywarp awkwardly fumbled to close his cockpit, which had somehow popped open by itself. Looking back up, he saw Novastar had moved out of his line of sight and could barely catch of glimpse of the top of her helm through the densely packed bots. Sighing in disappointment, he kept his head low as Majestrix continued the introductions...

"...My best scout, my finest scientist, and my top hacker; my daughters, and my most treasured magnum opus three fold..." she smiled warmly at her daughters; Moonshine and Novastar gazed adoringly at her while Eclipse simply stood to attention like a troop on the parade ground. "And now, I introduce my dearest, most loyal friends; family in every way but blood, who through thick and thin have given me many centuries of undying loyalty and affection. And who I know, you will come to love and admire too..." Majestrix smiled, "Oh, and you might want to take several paces back-" she added with a sly look in her optics.

"Any idea where she's going with this?" Ironhide whispered into Prime's audio as everyone moved back by several meters; "A pretty good one, and all I can recommend is, brace yourself old friend:" Optimus deadpanned; Ironhide grumbled something under his breath, this was either going to be bad, or something else altogether: either way, it was going to mean trouble. But he realized this was probably going to be tense when a whole bunch of sinister-looking optics gazed out from the darkness of the ship; followed by a series of soft grunts, growls, hyena-like cackles and hisses as they watched the bots startled movements. With a sharp double clap of her hands, Majestrix grinned as the first set of glowing optics approached out of the dark and slithered down the ramp...

Everyone jumped in alarm at the sight of the huge serpent-like creature; over thirty feet in length and blacker than the blackest shadow, it had the long robust body of a python or boa, but had the upper body, forelegs, neck, head and face of a leopard, with long pointed ears and sharp emerald green optics it was a sinister-looking beast. As it approached, it circled its mistress, hissing aggressively at the other bots, who all hastily stepped back further to give it a wide birth; content that no one was threat, the creature stood up on its forelegs and slithered/climbed up Majestrix's side, coming to rest around her neck with a content purr. "Now now Shadowfang, is that any way to say hello?" she cooed to the creature, who simply rubbed its head against her helm.

"What in the pit is THAT thing?!" Skids panicked

"Shadowfang: my shadow that follows me most places, and keeps my wings warm on the coldest of nights; what she is I don't quite know. A hybrid of some kind, courtesy of one of Shockwave's many bio-weapons experiments, which I 'relieved' him of several eons ago" Majestrix smiled as she stroked the creature, eliciting a deep rumbling purr from its vocalizer.

"Bio-weapons experiments?" Bluestreak echoed, raising an optic ridge in confusion.

"A nightmare that came long before your time kid. Back when Cybertron was still able to sustain what was left of its dying ecosystems; Shockwave tried cross- breeding Cybertron's apex predator species in an attempt to create living weapons. But when he got the idea to install their processors with base-line AI software to make them more intelligent, many of them learnt how to break free of their handler's control and turned on them. Those beasts were a near-endless source of horror for everyone, bot and con alike; I didn't think any were still alive after all this time" Kup explained as he stepped forwards to get a closer look, the creature bared its teeth but didn't hiss as it leaned forward to get a good sniff of the old bot.

"If there's one thing I enjoyed more than trying to blast Shockwave to the pit; it was raiding his hidden laboratories and plundering his experiments. And I kept only the best ones for myself..." Majestrix grinned as she let the creature slither off her neck and onto one of the rear tail fins of the ship; everyone watched in morbid curiosity as the creature coiled up watched them like a hawk, "...But of course, Shadowfang wasn't the only result of the bio-weapons experiments..." she put her fingers to her lip plates and blew hard, eliciting a loud shrill whistle. Suddenly, the sound of barking, howling and growling echoed out loudly from the ship as a huge pack of fifteen dog-like beasts galloped down the ramp and made a bee-line for Majestrix; each of them wagging their tails and whining and yapping with delight as their mistress bend down to greet each of them, to which she received a generous amount of licks from their long silver tongues, everyone didn't know whether to run or to power up their weapons as many of the bots suddenly recognised what they were.

"Hellhounds?!" Ironhide gasped, "But I thought they were extinct?" Jetfire exclaimed

"On Cybertron they are..." Majestrix replied as she got back up and snapped her fingers, immediately each of the beasts sat down and fell silent; but still twitched in happy excitement. There were three basic types; the most obvious were the five long skinny ones with pale silvery armour, built like greyhounds with long sleek powerful legs, large optics, long pointed ears and long narrow muzzles filled with small cone shaped teeth: they were obviously built for speed and agility. Five others seemed to resemble wolves as they were of a sturdier build with stocky forequarters and wolf-like faces and muzzles with sharp armour plates running down their necks with slate blue and dark grey marbled markings; those ones looked like they were built to track and fight. But the other five were the most intimidating of all: smaller and shorter than the others with dark gun-metal grey armour, they looked like pitbull/shark hybrids on steroids; with a much more robust build, shorter legs and wide blunt muzzles, their teeth looked like a cross between a shark's and tiger's, with four huge canines that could do some serious damage, and smaller serrated triangular teeth for shredding. They were built to fight, and fight hard. "...These are the last of Megatron's personal pack; the ones that he intended to use for hunting traitors. I stole them from him when they were still newly sparked, and have been my best hunters and trackers ever since" the Prima smiled as she stroked their heads

"You've got even more brass-bearings than I thought! Keeping a pack of Hellhounds? You gotta be crazy!" Sunstreaker exclaimed in disbelief, to which Majestrix glanced at him with a sly grin. "...Not enough apparently?" she replied sweetly as she whistled again; this time, a deeper, much hoarser growl rumbled out of the ship as the next member of her menagerie made its presence known...

A GIANT three headed hellhound; over thirty five feet tall from the ground to the top of its centre head, the great beast stomped out and sniffed the air, gazing over at the bots and growling loudly. Everyone froze in terror: the sight of its huge silver teeth and robust jaws told them right away it could kill them in one bite; each of the heads were indistinguishable from each other bar their optics, the right head's was blue, the centre head's was yellow, and the left's were red. As the creature approached closer, its deep growls made the whole crowd back up, until it spotted its mistress, and instantly calmed down as it nuzzled her like a puppy. "Now now Cerberus, that's no way to greet our friends..." she cooed softly as a happy moan escaped the creature's jaws.

"A THREE HEADED Hellhound?! How in the pit-..." Cliffjumper gasped

"Slag! Shockwave sure knew how to make a monster!" Ultra Magnus gasped offhand

"True, but not so much a monster if you know how to understand them" Majestrix replied as she produced three mini energon cubes from her subspace and offered them to the beast; each of the heads licked up a cube and chewed on them contently. She made a gesture with her hand and the creature padded over to one side and lied down to enjoy its treats, followed by the Hellhound pack.

"So what other pets do you have? Or dare I even ask?" Jazz asked, passing a sigh of relief. To answer his question, Majestrix whistled again and this time a huge black shadow swopped out of the ship, circled up and around before gliding down and perching on her shoulder. "This is Carrion, my 'cyber-griffin vulture', and by far one of the most noble creatures in existence" Majestrix stated proudly as the creature hopped down onto her outstretched arm. True to her words, it literally looked like a griffin/vulture hybrid; at over ten feet long from nose to tail with a wingspan of over twenty five feet across, it had a stocky feline body with a long bladed tail but had the head of a vulture with blade-feathers at the base of its neck, and a huge set of disheveled wings that looked more like shards of shrapnel all pieced together into crude wing-shapes with powerful engines on each side. Completely black from beak to tail-tip, its scarlet red optics surveyed the scene with a particularly austere gaze; it was as unflatteringly unattractive as it was starkly frightening: its very appearance was something akin to the grim reaper, or some ominous deathly presence. Either way, half the bots were wondering what else there was to Majestrix, if _this_ was her idea of nobility. The creature gave a shrill hoarse squawk, and took off up into the air, perching next to Shadowfang on the rear-most tailfin of the ship.

"Noble? Yeah, if yer Fester Addams" Sam said offhand as he watched the ominous griffin preening its feathers while Shadowfang curled up next to it.

"One mech's ugliness is another's beauty; and besides, a cyber-griffin vulture has the keenest optics of any creature, and over the years he's done a fine job on keeping an optic on everyone, and everything" Majestrix stated. Suddenly, a deep loud rumble echoed out from the ship as two more beasts availed themselves; Majestrix smiled as she instantly recognized them, and they her..."Ah, but _these_ by far are my most _precious_ companions. Blackscar, Whiteclaw, here my darlings..." she called to them warmly as they came up and rubbed their bodies up against hers with satisfied purrs. The creatures in question were a pair of GIANT robotic tigers; over fifteen tall and forty five feet long from their noses to their bladed tails, they had thick robust forequarters with long lean hindquarters, huge paw pads sporting a lethal set of claws, and jaws that could rip a mech's head off in one quick bite. But unlike regular earth tigers, this pair had a set of complex-looking crests at the sides of their heads and jaws with four long blueish-purple whip-like antenna extending out from behind their small pointed ears, and unlike the others creatures they had no lip plates to hide their teeth, thus the whole front of their faces looked like were skulls, and locked in a constant chilling snarl. Their colouration however was more appealing; one was deep jet black with white stripes running down its neck, back and tail, while other slightly larger one was radiant snow white with black stripes: each had a single bright yellow optic in the center of their faces, and each had a long blade-like stinger at the tip of their tails. As they paced around Majestrix, Ravage suddenly noticed the familiarity they both shared with his own design; and watched them with captivated fascination that rippled down his spark-bond, and caught his brother's attention too...

"Turbo-Tigers!" Jazz gasped, "-You got _turbo-tigers_?"

"Aw hell no way!" Mudflap gasped

"Where, in the pit did you find _those?!_" Jetfire breathed in astonishment

"The obsidian pits of Dalmeck-Karr 12; Starscream thought he could overthrow Megatron with these 'pretty kitties' as his personal assassins. But after I found out about them I decided he could try overthrowing Megatron the old fashioned way; so I stole them away and kept them for myself..." Majestrix grinned as the black turbo-tiger stood up on its hind legs to nuzzle her face, "Hmmm, they've been my precious angles ever since" She cooed lovingly as she scratched the creature behind its ear.

"Hehehehe! Yeah I bet!" Glen chuckled nervously while he tried to hide behind Skids and Mudflap's frames as the white turbo-tiger tried to softly paw at him, which only made the-already nervous human even more twitchy as he tried to run for cover: only to be chased and pounced upon. "Whiteclaw! No! Put him down this instant!" Majestrix sternly ordered, to which the white tiger complied and let him go, after scrambling back onto his feet Glen made a beeline for the safety of Prime's huge frame, with Whiteclaw eying him with disappointment.

"I hope that's not going to be a regular occurrence?" Prime frowned disapprovingly.

"Turbo-tigers will be turbo-tigers; they'll pounce on just about anything small that moves in front of them" Majestrix shrugged as the black turbo-tiger got down and paced off around the side of the ship.

"Yeah, and probably _eat _just about anything too right?" Epps nervously replied

"Hm, that depends; they don't usually favor organics. Simply keep a red laser pen on your person at all times and you'll be fine" she replied casually, Epps was about to ask why: until he suddenly remembered what cats love most about red laser pens. "A laser pen's gonna keep than oversized kitty off me?!" he sarcastically demanded. With an exasperated sigh, Majestrix activated a red laser in her left optic and directed at the ground in front of Whiteclaw, right away the huge beast started pawing at the light like a kitten at play, following it with eager interest as Majestrix led the laser around the side of the ship, with the tiger still chasing after it. Once both creatures were out of range, she deactivated the laser and gazed at Epps with a satisfied raised optic ridge. The man simply shook his head and sighed in dreary exhaustion: his life had just gone from 'already-risky-yet-interesting', to playing host with a hoard of occupational hazards.

"So? I take it you don't really go for cute and fluffy?" Hailey asked with a nervous smile

"Cute and fluffy is fine, but when you're in the middle of a war you want something that's going to know how to defend itself and survive more than a few rounds of plasma-bomb attacks and seeker raids. Something that thrives on carnage is best suited to the melee and unpredictable nature of combat. And when dealing with an enemy like the cons, cute and fluffy is the _last_ thing on my mind" Majestrix stated in a dry tone.

"Mother always did have a soft spot for the 'toothy' ones; especially Geo" Moonshine smiled as she petted one of the hellhounds.

"Geo?! ..." Prime flinched at the name before a sour look came over his face, "Oh don't tell me you still have-"

"Yes, yes I do-" Majestrix grinned with glee, before she sighed in exasperation, "Honestly Optimus, you of _all_ mech's know how long lived Geo's kind are; not to mention they can spend hundreds of years at a time in hibernation. And besides, if it wasn't for her you would never have learnt how to survive an encounter with Shockwave's most favourite pet..."

"Shockwave's most favorite pet?" Jetfire echoed

"Back up, is she talking about-"

"Wait, does she mean?-"

"Hang on; Shockwave's favorite pet was that Driller, and it-..." Bumblebee's 'antennae' dropped down as he suddenly realized what Majestrix was talking about... "...Oh frag..."

A deep vibrating rumble echoed out of the ship like rolling thunder and shook the ground like an earthquake.

"Oh slag! What now?!" Ironhide exclaimed as he held onto Will in one hand.

"You might want to back right up!" Majestrix called over the loud rumbling

"What?" Ultra Magnas called back

"She means RUN!-" Prime barked as he took off in the opposite direction; no one asked or argued as they followed close behind while the human troops scattered back into the base and behind the fire-blast barriers along the edges of the open air hanger. A huge BOOM! Shook the ground as a huge dust cloud was thrown up into the air, practically blocking out half the sunlight coming into the gorge; as the rumbling died down, a deep loud metallic whining/groaning echoed back and forth off the canyon-like walls: like a whale song of some kind. The kids tried to get a good look over their guardian's shoulders to see what it was, and through the dust the giant silhouette a huge serpent-like creature shifted from one side to another before coming to a stop in front of the Ark.

"YOU CAN STOP RUNNING NOW!" Majestrix called over, and as the bots skidded to a halt and turned; the sight before them made their jaws and cockpits drop.

Lying in a curved position on the ground between the bow of Ark and the stern of the Black Solstus, a HUGE worm-like behemoth sat; with six long tentacles, a mouth full of rotating jaws and countless teeth, it dwarfed the entire group. Its silver and grey drill-like armor glistened in the sun as the countless segments that made up its body rotated back and forth slowly as its giant head swung round towards them. As its teeth 'click-clacked' over and over one another, a deep electronic whale-like moan echoed deep from within its hulking body while its six massive tentacles slowly snaked towards the bots, as if sniffing their air around them.

Of all the creatures to have ever existed, none were more respected, or more feared than the Driller; its size, power and ferocious predatory nature had been the stuff of terrifying legends for countless eons; and its stealthy and fast prowess had made it the undisputed apex predator of Cybertron. But with the planet and its ecosystems long since gone, the great beasts faded into myth and fable; now the subject of camp-fire tales and old war stories to scare rookie bots. The only other Driller the bots had ever known was the one Shockwave kept as his personal war-hound; no one had ever imagined that anyone else could have kept one of these giants, let alone an Autobot: they were simply too big and too dangerous. But here, as Majestrix passed along the giant's flank, slowly and smoothly caressing its sharp bladed body, the behemoth twitched its tentacles as a happy-sounding deep MMMMUUUUR rumbled out of its huge gaping mouth. The bots kept their distance, as the memories of Shockwave's Driller brought back unpleasant memories for those who'd been unlucky enough to confront the beast face to face; they remembered just what kind of damage those tentacles can do, and just how much metal those teeth could shred...

"You...have a Driller..." Sunstreaker tried to snap himself back to reality, "A real, big-aft, Driller..."

"Holy Slag..." Jetfire facepalmed, nearly stumbling over backwards

"That thing's your _PET?!_" Sam squeaked

"How did it even fit on the ship? It's gotta be nearly two thousand feet long!" Mikaela exclaimed in shock as she gazed at its long hulking body.

"Two thousand and fifty to be exact-" Majestrix grinned, "And every last inch of her is _stunning_"

"_Two thousand and fifty?!_ That's _way_ bigger than Shockwave's Driller!" Bumblebee gasped

"Well of course she's bigger, she's a female!" the Prima frowned. As the Driller purred at its mistress's touch, a familiar scent caught its attention; directing its tentacles towards the bots, it instantly picked Optimus out as it 'sniffed' him up and down, and a curious groan rumbled deep within its body as Optimus tried to gently push the intruding tentacles away.

"Oh Optimus, she still remembers you after all this time-" Majestrix smiled warmly "How wonderful"

"Yes, quite-" he replied with a hint of displeasure as he gently swatted one tentacle away from his face, "Now, if you please?" With a long shrill whistle and a waving gesture of her hand; the Driller's body segments began to rotate faster, and in one smooth turn with a slithering motion it took off towards the far end of the gorge, passing a rather curious Omega Supreme, fluidly slipping over the underground waterway outlet and into the deep flowing river, swimming along towards the open desert. The hellhounds and turbo-tigers too took off towards the vast open terrain, running up the long sloping road that hugged the western side of the canyon wall, the single quickest way up to the top; while Carrion and Shadowfang sat contently in the shade of the Black Solstus.

"Holy crap, and I thought people who keep alligators for pets were nuts..." Will thought aloud as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "All those things were your _pets_?"

"Everyone has a hobby; and simply plundering Decepticon hideouts and destroying everything just wasn't fun if you didn't have anything to show for it..." Majestrix reasoned with a sweetly smile, "And if you're worried about keeping them in cages, don't. They don't do cage's well anyway; with the vast expanse of the desert surrounding the base they'll be happily provided for: there's the reservoir, a mountain, several valleys and gorges, and plenty of scrub-land for them to sniff around and hide in. And when they soon learn that the base is the their only food source, they won't be tempted to jump the perimeter and go wandering off to the nearest human habitation; give them time to settle in and they'll be fine"

"Yeah, you _say_ that, but saying it and 'settling in' actually happening are two different things!" Glen pointed out, his nerves still shot.

"He's got a point, we use the desert for training and live-fire exercises, as well as the air-strip and hangers; how're we supposed to go about business as usual if those 'pets' are running around getting up to who knows what?" Will asked in concern

"Hmmm?" Majestrix thought for a moment, "I'll put something in place to keep them off the runways, away from the power-supply units at the dam and away from the training grounds, fair enough?"

"It'll do" Will nodded, satisfied, but not completely at ease, "But what about 'Geo'?"

"Female Drillers are quite territorial; I think she'll favour the north side of the western mountain and the gorges surrounding it. Just give her a few days to establish her territory and you shouldn't have any problems" the femme replied

"And food? I don't think that thing'll take energon cubes"

"Drillers can go for years at a time between kills, a handful of cubes here and there will keep her happy, maybe the occasional dead con if she's lucky, and if Shockwave is stupid enough to bring his Driller to earth he's going to be slag out of luck. Female Drillers _are known_ to be cannibals..." she grinned slyly

"Oooookay-" Sam nodded slowly, thinking she probably enjoyed that fact a little too much, "So? Generally, just don't go into the desert for the next few days?"

"I think that seems to be the general consensus Mrs Witwicky" Morri sarcastically replied

"Oh Mother! We nearly forgot Scrappy!" Novastar squeaked in mild alarm

"Hm? Oh yes, don't worry I haven't forgotten him" Majestrix smiled

"Who's Scrappy?" Mikaela asked

"Oh, he's my pet hellhound; mother gave him to me when I was very young, he's been my bestest little friend for as long as I can remember" she chimed happily

"And the biggest annoyance" Eclipse sarcastically added

"Oh please! You're only saying that because he took a bite out of your wing the one time! And _that_ hardly counted as a mesh wound!" Moonshine waved off, Eclipse glared daggers at her younger sibling but said nothing.

"Aw slag! Another one of those things?" Mudflap facepalmed

"Yes, but this one is quite different from the others-" Majestrix warned as she held the bot's gazes with a stern look in her optics, "I have to warn you; this is by far the most _dangerous_ of Shockwaves experiment's. When starved, it can strip a mech of his armour within less than forty five minutes, and when _really_ starved, it can kill and excoriate a Driller within half the time..."

The bots glances at one another in dread and horrified alarm; what could possibly _kill_ a _driller?_

"Remember: no sudden moves, and if it comes up to you, try not to look it in the optics..." Majestrix warned before she whistled, and a tiny pair of bright purple optics appeared at the darkened doorway... Everyone braced themselves; whatever was about to come out, they all hoped and prayed that it would respond to its mistresses command. Their minds reeled, what kind of monstrous beast could be capable of killing a driller and stripping it of its armour? As the thought sent shivers through their systems, the bots readied themselves, either to run, or to fight...

A small growl echoed out of the darkness of the ship...

This was it. The worst of the worst; the terror that came trotting down the ramp was a great big-

Chihuahua?

The sound of a scratched vinyl record would've been a most appropriate sound effect for the moment as every bot and human did a double take at the tiny dog-bot. Red Alert nearly glitched, Jetfire squinted as if a bug had flown into his optic, and Prime stood there with a raised optic ridge, not quite sure what to make of the ridiculously cute little creature. It was probably the size of a Yorkshire terrier, maybe smaller? With pale pewter and silver armour, big adorable purple optics and a little button-like nose, huge pointed ears, a short curly tail and tiny little legs that looked too small for its skinny little body. A brief moment of dumbfounded silence past before most of the bots and humans broke into fits of hysterics and fell about each other in a pile of uncontrolled laughter.

"THAT'S the big bad driller-killer?!" Skids wheezed as he tried to pick himself up off the ground

"Holy slag!-" Mudflap bellowed, "-That thing's the size of my-"

But he didn't get a chance to finish as the Chihuahua-bot took a running leap and tackled him in the face plates. Laughter instantly turned to hysterical panic as Mudflap tried to pull the tiny creature off his nose-plates, but its (surprisingly strong) little teeth gripped hard and refused to let go as it growled angrily. His brother, plus the other bots watched on with side splitting laughter as the Chevy danced around with this tiny dog-bot hanging from his face; Prime and the other older bots watched on with slight amusement and exasperated sighs.

"OH PRIMUS!-" Novastar panicked as she ran over to the Chevy and tried to get the little creature to let go, "-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!-" she repeated over and over in a flustered panic, until finally the dog let go and nestled in the crook of her arm. "Bad Scrappy! Bad Scrappy! That was _very_ naughty!" she reprimanded him with a light finger-flick on the nose, but the little Chihuahua-bot simply scratched behind one ear and didn't make any further fuss. "I'm so sorry about that! He's not usually like that around strangers!" Novastar apologized vehemently, terrified that she really ticked him off.

"Uuuh, -dafrag?" Mudflap groaned as he staggered around in a daze, keeping one hand on his still-sore nose plates while his brother and the other bots and humans finally calmed down and regained their composure.

"Well? That was, 'different'..." Majestrix smiled slyly with satisfaction, "Can you still stand?" she asked

"Uh-huh..." the burnt orange Chevy nodded as he leaned against his brother while still rubbing his dented wound.

"Good, and now, back to business..." The Prima smiled; as if on cue, another collection of optics appeared from out of the gloom of the ship, and stared down at everyone with curiosity, and skepticism...

* * *

R&R Please!


	8. Chp 8: Role Call

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.

* * *

TOMORROW IS FOREVER COMING

Chapter 8: Role Call

As the scorching heat of the sun beat down on the canyon, the bots and humans huddled into the shade to escape the searing temperature; most tried to huddle closer to the rear entrance ramp of the Black Solstus as a draft of cold air wafted down from inside the ship, and with it, the smells of energon, munitions and oil: the smells of a ship that had been well-lived in. Inside the darkened doorway, the vague silhouettes of a group of strange bots could be seen standing about; no doubt they were all eager to get out and stretch their joints, and leave the dark interior of the ship that had been their home for many eons. And Majestrix didn't keep them waiting as she introduced the first of her troops...

"First up, a femme who's been practically my sister in every way, and whose loyalty and dedication has served us well over the eons-" she announced. "Oh really Majestrix, you make too big a fuss..." Said the femme in question as she strode down the ramp...

She was _big_ for a femme; as large as Optimus and Majestrix (if not a few feet taller) and just as broad, her most prominent features were the large semi-transparent circular compartment in between her chest plates, the sonic amplifiers on her shoulders, and the _huge_ set of folded up wing-like satellite solar panels and antennae protruding from her back and hips. Her armour was of semi-standard Autobot design with three various shades of purple, and pink, yellow and blue in certain areas; and despite her optics being covered over with a single pale blue visor, her pale pewter face radiated with a warm smile. The bots stared at her in surprise, as they immediately recognized her armour and altmode design.

"Soundwave?-" Bluestreak blurted out offhand, but slapped his hands over his mouth plates when he realized what he said, and lowered his head in sheepish embarrassment; the femme however merely chuckled and placed a soft reassuring hand on his shoulder, "Not quite, but the confusion is understandable-" she smiled; "My altmode is the interceptor satellite, stealth-class; the same as Soundwave's, but with a few additional features thrown in" she clarified.

"Crystalwing is my communications officer and reconnaissance expert; it's her job to keep tabs on everyone and everything everywhere, and to seek out anything of particular interest to us. Ergo, my top spy master" Majestrix explained

"Oh I just take a peek here and there, it's nothing really" Crystalwing waved off in a flattered yet sheepish way.

"Oh shut up Crystal I know you don't mean it-" Majestrix smiled, "Your modesty is much too excessive"

"Well I'm not one to brag-" she replied, "The credit goes to my creations, they're the real reason my job works the way it does..."

"Creations? ..." Jazz echoed, "You got sparklings?"

"Only one, my eldest are all grown up now..." she smiled as a mech and a femme came down the ramp and stood at her side. They were both as weird-looking as they were impressive; and one glance at their smooth organic-like designs told most of the group they were techno-organics. The mech had a strange aura about him, as he seemed to look like a character from some horror novel. Dark and mysterious; the only thing that dispelled the notion of him being sinister was the warm smile on his face, the same as Crystalwing's. He was as tall as his mother, with a dark greyish charcoal-lilac face, bright yellow optics and a distinctive trident-shaped gold helm crest, with long darker tentacle-like dreadlocks that hung all the way down his back. His shoulders and chest plates were comprised of a set of smooth swept-back plates and blades, but the rest of him was covered in-, what could only be described as giant black cape-like set of manta ray wings, three of them to be exact. As the bots looked him up and down, the wings hugged his body in a form-fitting tightness and spread out at the bottom, so even his feet were not visible. 'Batbot!' Sam thought to himself, 'All he'd need is a cowl and set of pointed ears' he thought gleefully. The femme at his side however, was as extraordinary as she was beautiful; it was clear her altmode was a bird of some kind as a giant set of purple feathered wings gracefully protruded from her back and her feet were bird's feet, each with three long toes armed with a lethal set of talons. Her armour was certainly organic in profile; smooth, curved, and looked more like muscles overlapping one another, rather than plates of metal slotted together, and beautifully coloured with rich purples and pure snow white: a more unusual feature of her form was the long double-hemmed 'dress' that hung from her hips and trailed behind her with long beautiful multicoloured peacock-like tail feathers protruding from the folds of the hems. On her shoulders, two large curved armour plates were separate and suspended above her shoulders and upper arms, and from these a long trailing 'shoulder cape' hung down by her sides; her snow white face was most human-like, with smooth sculptured features, rich purple lips and glistening electric blue optics. She had the same gold helm crest as the mech, and what could only be described as 'crystal feathers' protruded from her helm, forming a dazzling crest-like shape reminiscent of one of the birds of paradise. The younger mech's stared in awe, unable to divert their optics away. '_FOUR_ hot femmes? What're the chances?!' Hot Rod thought excitedly as his spark beat like a drum in his spark chamber; completely oblivious to what Crystalwing was saying as she introduced them...

"This is Obsidian, my son, and my eldest daughter Twilightveil" she stated.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both" Optimus discreetly bowed his head.

"Oh please! The pleasure's ours!-"Obsidian smiled in a plain English accent, "Majestrix has told us so much about you over the years, it's so good to finally meet you in person at long last" Twilightveil finished, in an equally plain English accent. "Forgive me but-, did someone just call me a 'bat-bot'?" Obsidian frowned in confusion as he scanned his optics the group; Sam flinched as his eyes widened in alarm; 'holy crap! He's a telepath?!' he thought in a slight panic. "Well yes I am actually-" Obsidian stated casually as he continued to look over the group, "-We both are; being twins we share a telepathic bond as well as a spark-bond. Though I have to say, I don't think we've ever sensed a mind like yours before" Twilightveil added as she scanned over the crowd, who by now where wondering who they were talking to; but it didn't take Prime long to figure out what was going on.

"You're both telepaths?" he asked

"Two of the most powerful alive-" Crystalwing stated, "and my superior's now that their fully mature"

"You're a telepath too?" Jazz asked

"Oh yes, and I think the mind your both looking for is sitting on Bumblebee's shoulder..." she pointed to the yellow scout, and to the human male sitting on his shoulder; both wide-eyed in equal fascination, the twins stepped forward for a closer look, a little taken aback by their size, Sam tried to lean back as far as he could before falling over backwards off his guardian's shoulder. "Wow, that's a human? What a _small_ little being" Obsidian smiled, "And yet, they look larger on the 'internet'" Twilightveil agreed in equal amazement, "Uh hey? We have names too you know" Sam interrupted, "Oh yes: forgive us but we're so used to talking via telepathy that we often forget everyone has to talk to communicate-" Obsidian smiled in a jovial manner, "-When you've been with the same people day in day out, you often forget the etiquette of ordinary audible conversation" his sister added in equal light-heartedness.

"Do you always finish each others sentences?" Becca asked from where she sat on Bluestreak's shoulder. "That's what you get when you're telepathically bonded; our minds are so in tune to each other that our thought-processes can border on partial precognition. We can think what we're both thinking, before we've even thought it" Obsidian explained as he turned to face the girl and her sister; as the twins looked at them both; their identical faces made them stare in surprise...

"_You're_ both twins?" Twilightveil breathed in amazement, "Yep, you guys ain't the only species to procreate in doubles" Becky replied, "Fascinating" Obsidian smiled, "Not really, just an ovum splitting down the middle" Becca waved off casually, pretending to sound uninterested, "Even so, organic twins don't occur often. Care to enlighten me on your particular bond?" he asked as he offered his hand to the girls; "Well since yer both gonna be sticking around here a while, you might as well get the low-down on what to expect" Becca replied as she and Becky both hopped onto his hand and sat in him palm with Twilightveil close at his side he stepped away a short distance to afford some privacy.

"Well they're going to be occupied for a while; they can never pass up a chance to meet an organic" Crystalwing shook her head in amusement: "Anyway, let me introduce my younger creations..." she smiled as her main chest-compartment opened up like a camera shutter, and out jumped five large creatures; two of them were dragons, and the other three were sphinxes. As they stretched and loosened up their cramped joints, they looked up and around at the strange bots looking down on them. The two dragons flapped their wings, and flew up to sit on their mother's shoulders.

"These are my two youngest sons, Blackmoon and Acidwing-" she smiled as they both surveyed the bots with eager enthusiasm. Acidwing was long, lithe and serpent-like with soft aqua's and vivid greens adorning his armor, he had a long narrow head and extended lower jaw, giving him a very sharp angular profile of his face, the rear of his head was adorned with a vivid crest of purple and green feathers while parts of head and neck were decorated with Aztec-like markings and patterns. His body was long and lean like a greyhound, and he had a set of fin-like webbing between his sides and forelegs, his bat-like wings had to be about fifteen meters across, and the membrane that spanned between the digits looked like it was made up of emeralds, peridot and ammolite as they shimmered and sparkled with fracture-like patterns spanning across the surface from wingtip to wingtip: his long whip-like tail had a huge plume of bright green feathers sprouting out of the red and purple spear-like tip, shaped like a fan palm tree. He was hard to miss with those vivid colours, unlike his brother who was quite the contrast. Blackmoon was larger and much more robust with a stockier build; his armor was much darker, consisting of black, charcoal, gun-metal grey and slate and ultra marine blues; his head was angular like a viper's with two short cat ear-shaped horns, a set of fin like spines on the sides of his jaws and a line of blunt triangular spines running down his head and neck; built more like a bear or a tiger rather than a greyhound or serpent, he was very different to Acidwing, but similar in some ways too. His wings had the same crystalline-like surface, but instead of bright greens his wing membrane looked like sapphires, blue topaz and black opals; his tail was long and whip-like, but instead of feathers the tip had just three blunt tentacle-like extensions, each with a dark blue spot at the tips: both brothers also had a pair of shoulder-mounted guns and a lethal-looking claws on each paw.

"-And these are my daughters: Shadowstar, Shiningstar, and my youngest, Sparklestar-" Crystalwing gestured to the three sphinxes at her feet. The sphinx sisters were practically like triplets in their similarities, their faces, armour design and overall forms had been created to the same standard; they even shared the same basic helm design, which resembled an Egyptian Nemes. And yet, despite the similarities, they were as different from each other as they were contrasting in attitude. Shadowstar, the eldest of the three was white with varying shades of purple; her armour was angular, curved and spiky in places, giving her quite a formidable appearance: which complimented the austere look on her fare face. Shiningstar, the middle sister was white with various shades of sky blue, she appeared to be a little more laid back and approachable, and it seemed to reflect on her overall design; with smooth curved armour and smaller claws, she didn't have the same negative aura as Shadowstar. But Sparklestar however, was a quite the contrast: being much smaller, she had to be about the size of a large Great Dane compared to her sisters who were probably shorter than Ravage; her frame was dazzling white with various hues of bright magenta pink and her armor was soft and smooth with no particular sharp or defensive features: rather, much of her design seemed to incorporate a heart in its overall profile, including the blunt heart-shaped tip on her tail. From where he and his brothers sat above them on the Black Solstus, Ravage watched in curious interest as the sisters suddenly noticed the humans sitting on some of the bots shoulders...

"Are those humans?!" Sparklestar squeaked in excitement as she bounced around the bots feet.

"Yes, and they're not chew toys!" Acidwing called down to her with a smarmy smirk.

"Ha ha you're so hilarious-" Sparklestar sarcastically replied as she took a running leapt up and climbed up Trailbreaker's side to reach his shoulder; taking the bot completely by surprise, she settled herself next to Darren, who was even more taken aback by the big bear-hug she pulled him into, electing a loud soft purr. "Wow! You really _are_ soft and squishy! No metal inside you at all!" she exclaimed as she scanned him up and down; "That's-, kinda the point if your an organic!-" Darren gasped as he tried to breath in her tight grasp; in one smooth move, Crystalwing leaned over and gently picked the young femme up by the scruff of her neck plates, regarding her with a mild mother hen look. "Sparklestar, what did talk about respecting the human's personal space?" she asked seriously, "...Not to get to close if they don't want ya to" she pouted with a disappointed frown; "That's right. Now put him down and calm yourself; you'll get a chance to meet everyone" she soothed; Sparklestar reluctantly let go of Darren, who fell down into Trailbreaker's waiting hand and quickly scooted back onto his shoulder, brushing the creases out of his new uniform as he sat back on his perch.

"_This_, is our new home?" Shadowstar gazed up at the canyon-like walls with a disapproving frown.

"Ah I know it don't look like much from here, but earth's an awesome place to kick it!" Beachcomber grinned, "Yeah, if you think the base is cool, wait 'till you see the rest of the planet!" Jazz added with equal delight; "REALLY?! What's it like?! What's it like?!" Sparklestar peeped up in excitement, bouncing up and down in her mother's cupped hands. "Ah don't you worry lil' missy, you got plenty'a time to check this big ol' rock out" the first lieutenant patted her on the head.

"Sounds fascinating" Shiningstar grinned

"Sounds pointless" Shadowstar deadpanned in a dry tone

"Aw come on Shadow don't be like that!" Blackmoon regarded her with an exasperated look.

"Like what? I don't see what's the point in getting comfortable on a meat-infested rock when we'll probably be leaving within the next cycle" The white and purple femme dryly replied.

"Actually we won't be leaving. Not this time" Majestrix stated. "What?" the sphinx raised an optic ridge in surprise, "We're staying for good; so I suggest you take some time to get used to your new home. You and all of us will be staying here quite a long while..." the Prima grinned. Shadowstar's frown turned into a sour scowl as she padded off and took her place next to her mother's side, along with Shiningstar.

"Don't worry about her, she hates everyone and everything, it's nothing personal" Acidwing slyly grinned as he flicked his tail in a Z formation, Shadowstar regarded him was a foul look, but said nothing.

"Meh, there's always one in every rank" Jetfire waved off in an uninterested manner.

"Its true earth is quite different from Cybertron; but for all its alien strangeness, its beauty is unlike anything in the known galaxy; and I hope you'll come to admire as much as we all have" Optimus stated

"I do hope that's true..." A smooth famine voice replied from inside the ship, "...Because from what I've seen on the 'internet'; it's got a lot of potential..." it added as a pair of glowing yellow optics appeared at the doorway.

"Ah yes, Portia; you have a particular proclivity for anything organic..." Majestrix regarded the femme as she poked her head out from the darkness. Everyone blinked in surprise at her unusual features; her face was bone white with black thunderbolt shaped markings under her yellow optics, and her helm was topped with a sinister set of angular curved horns, with another set of larger golden optics set between them. It was peculiar to say the least as all four optics blinked at the same time. "...What can I say? I'm a sucker for safaris" the femme smiled slyly.

"Are those optics on your helm_ real_?" Ironhide frowned in curiosity

"Oh their real all right-" she gently tapped the side of her helm with a long clawed finger, "And believe me, they can see your every movement..." she added. Scanning her for a closer look, the bots were surprised to see her optics were not singular lenses, but comprised of dozens of tiny hexagonal lens, making all four optics look like insect's eyes, "Why have four optics? What were you built for?" Prowl asked.

"I was a double-agent sent to infiltrate the cons, having an additional set of optics comes in handy when your living with the enemy on a daily basis. But suffice to say; Moonshine didn't design and build my frame. My Decepticon 'master' bestowed that 'honor' upon me when I proved my trustworthiness to them. And he felt it best I have a frame that reflected my speciality...namely, hunting and killing..." she replied as she stepped out of the door. The bots nearly jumped out of their armour as six long sharp-looking spider legs protruded from her back and carried her effortlessly; from the waist down she had a sleek spider-like abdomen that bobbed slightly with every subtle movement; they watched in morbid fascination as she smoothly scuttled up the side of the ship and came to 'stand' above Majestrix's helm, watching the looks on the bots faces with particular amusement.

"WHOA! Dude she's a spider!" Miles gawked. "Aw hell..." Glen sighed offhand as he watched her in slight alarm as his fear of spiders began to pang at the back of his mind.

"A keen observation; but don't worry, flesh isn't really my taste..." she winked at them both, "no pun intended"

"You were a double agent?" Optimus asked, "How long were you under?"

"Longer than I care to remember" she replied frankly

"Wait- since when did the Decepticons start recruiting femmes? Megatron ordered all the femmes and sparklings to be wiped out" Hound pointed out.

"There were many things Megatron never knew about, not least what was going on behind his back when he wasn't on Cybertron, or when he took off after the Allspark following the battle at Tyger-Pax..." Portia explained as she jumped off the side of the ship; as she twisted in midair her abdomen transformed into a pair of long lithe legs with some of the abdomen plates trailing down behind her, "He may have been 'sexist' when it came to choosing his warriors; but Shockwave didn't care for gender so long as you could put up a fight and obey his orders" she added

"Shockwave was your master?" Ultra Magnas blinked in surprise

"So he thought; working for _that_ particular con is no job for an armature, and spying on him is twice as tough" she replied dryly

"I recall some time ago there was a rumor going around that Shockwave started keeping femmes to use as his soldiers and spies; we looked into it but found nothing of it. Thought it was a loada Decepticon scuttlebutt" Kup interjected

"It wasn't scuttlebutt; Shockwave went to great lengths to keep us hidden, if the Autobots discovered us sooner or later it would've reached Megatron's audios. Most likely via Soundwave, since he was always keeping tabs on both Autobot _and _Decepticon communications" Portia explained

"Huh," Kup smirked, "Guess I shouldn't be surprised" he nodded thoughtfully

"There wasn't much that could surprise that mech either; being what he was there wasn't any line of thought too unthinkable for him to employ as a means of getting the job done..." Portia shrugged as she leaned against the side of the ship with her arms folded and her six legs folded up into two long bended scythe-like appendages.

"And how! That mech was an endless source of grief!..." Another voice echoed out from the ship; Wheeljack's audio crests lit up when he recognized whose voice it was... "QUE?!" he called out, "Wheeljack?" the voice replied in equal surprise as the stranger strode down the ramp; he was a medium sized mech, as old as Jetfire or Kup, and looked to be a dead ringer for Albert Einstein (or so most of the humans thought) as he sported a metallic 'moustache' a wild hair style (said 'hair' was comprised of tiny pale electric blue fibre-optic strands) and two circular rings on the front of his optics making it look like we was wearing glasses. He looked a little more eccentric compared to most of the other bots, and as he spotted Wheeljack pushing to the front of the crowd, the old mech's face lit up with a delighted smile. "Wheeljack!" he exclaimed happily in a slight Scottish accent as they embraced and looked each other over; "By Primus! It's so good to see you again mah' boy!" he exclaimed, "And I you old friend! ...Everyone, this is Que, he was my mentor at the Iacon Science academy, before and during the war!" Wheeljack eagerly introduced him. "Optimus Prime..." Que breathed in astonishment as he laid his optics on Optimus, "It's so good to see you again after all this time" he shook his hand; "And I you old friend, it's been much too long" Prime smiled, "Wait, you know each other?" Wheeljack stared at them both in surprise, "Prime and I go way back lad, did a few weapons designs for him here and there, put together one or two plasma bombs; nothing fancy really. He hooked me up with Majestrix and her crew when the cons caught wind of one of my more 'adventurous' projects, so she put me into hiding aboard her ship, and I've been here ever since" he explained.

"Adventurous projects? You mean the DRD?" Trailbreaker asked

"Ah, yes..." Que rubbed the back of his neck plates as he winced with embarrassment, "...Majestrix informed me of the trouble that thing put you through, both of them. Honest to Primus I was _sure_ the one I gave to Wheeljack for safe keeping had its power-core neutralized; I honestly thought it wouldn't work after all these eons"

"Well? It kinda did" Hot Rod replied with slight sarcasm

"I'm just so sorry I couldn't be there to help you all; if there's anything I can do-"

"Please-" Optimus interrupted softly, "The fact you are back is more than enough"

"...Thank you sir" Que bowed respectfully, "I promise I won't let ya all down"

"I'm sure you won't..." a curt voice interjected; Majestrix and the others looked back over their shoulders to see one of the other new arrivals stroll down the ramp.

"Ah yes, this is Blackshot, my second in command; my right-hand femme and closest friend since we were at the Iacon Autobot Academy together..." Majestrix stated. Blackshot was quite the imposing figure, a sleek flyer of a tall lean build with big broad jet wings; her sharp smooth armour gave a rather sinister edge to her appearance. The black and dark charcoal of her wings, intakes and tailfins was contrasted by the varying hues of purple with pink and yellow highlights here and there. As she approached the group, for a brief moment her optics fell on Optimus and from where she sat on Deathshot's shoulder Morri noticed the sharp frosted look in her optics, a rather unfriendly glare: and looking at Optimus he too regarded her with a less than welcoming look. "Do they know each other D?" she whispered into his audio; "In a sense" he quietly replied, "Meaning?" she pressed him, "...It's complicated: I'll explain later" he whispered. Watching her approach the bottom of the ramp, Morri noticed how her expression had now shifted to an unreadable look as she bowed respectfully to the Prime; 'Guess there must be some history there' she thought curiously.

"Blackshot reporting for duty sir" she stated plainly

"At ease soldier-" he obliged, "We welcome you to earth; and to NEST HQ" he greeted her in a somewhat professional tone. Some of the bots glanced at each other with raised optic ridges; why had Prime suddenly dropped the friendly meet-and-greet routine?

"Thank you sir: but if I may, I'd very much like to inquire as to my sister's current condition" she asked, to which the bots suddenly remembered Swiftshot; who was still in stasis in the med-bay. "She's stable, But I'm afraid she's still in stasis" Ratchet replied, "Have you determined the cause?" she asked unconcerned; "As of yet no, but we're still working to try and isolate the problem" he replied. "...If I may, I would very much like to see her..." she asked in a deadpan tone. "In time my friend: I can assure you Ratchet is one of the finest medics in Prime's ranks, and he's taking the utmost care to ensure her recovery" Majestrix laid a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, but I can't take all the credit; my student Mikaela has been a big help..." Ratchet gestured to the human female standing at his feet. Blackshot took one look at her before her optics turned cold; "You-, have an organic to help you?" she asked in a slightly curt tone, "She's a junior Apprentice, and with another year's training give or take, she'll make a _fine_ Medic" Ratchet stated confidently. But the look in Blackshot's optics thought otherwise; even though the outside temperature was pushing nearly ninety degrees, it suddenly felt like it had dropped by twenty as Blackshot glared at the teen with a particularly cold stare; suddenly feeling she was stuck between a rock and a hard place, Mikaela took a small step back.

"You don't have a problem with that do you? Cuz we certainly don't" Sideswipe asked as he folded his arms, even though he was calm the slight sternness in his voice was hard to miss, and as the other bots gazed at the femme in unsure concern, Blackshot thought better of it and quickly dropped the subject, "...Not at all" she deadpanned, and took a few steps back to fall into rank at her commander's side. Majestrix regarded her with a stern look, but neither said anything as the Prima turned her attention back to the ship.

"One in every rank?" Kup whispered in Jetfire's audio, "Guess there's always room from one more slag-head" the ancient seeker whispered as he stroked his metal beard.

"What was that all about?" Hot Rod whispered to Jazz, "Nothin', just mean's someone's gonna take a little longer to warm up to our lil' buddies" the silver Pontiac waved off. But the subject was quickly pushed to one side as the next 9 team-member stepped off the ship, and this one was a stunner. She was a small femme, probably fourteen feet at the most, and the most organic looking techno-organic anybody had ever seen. As strange as she was beautiful, her amour hardly looked robotic or technological at all; more like shell and muscle than metal plating, and her face, arms and legs had an uncanny resemblance to that of a human's. Her body was decorated with soft hues of aqua greens, jades and blues with snow white, and instead of a helm her head was covered in long white wispy fibre-optic hair that shimmered with pastel hues, and an elegant tiara-like structure sitting atop her forehead; her audios looked more like fish gills, and on the back of her shoulders were two long lion-fish fins neatly folded up and pointed downward, two long fin/wing-like flaps formed a long elegant cape falling down her sides and back, and flowing from her hips was a long strange dress-like appendage that trailed behind her, it looked like some kind of fish tail that had been split down the middle, and only the tail fin itself was intact. Whatever she transformed into it had to be an aquatic creature of some kind, but no one was really thinking about it as they watched her anxiously step down the ramp.

"Oh don't be so shy young one, come and say hello to your new teammates" Majestrix laid her hand on her shoulder and coaxed her to the front of the group

"Uh, hi? I'm-, Seashine?" she spoke in a sweet yet meek little voice.

"Seashine? ..." Sunstreaker echoed, "That's not one you hear often"

"Uh? Well, I wasn't exactly built for terrestrial combat" she replied anxiously

"Kinda figured that already, why else would you have sodium chloride filters on your vents?" Wheeljack pointed out as he noticed said devices over her air intakes. "Are you a techno-organic?" Hot Rod asked, "Um? Yes?" she shied away a little; seeing she wasn't comfortable here, Jazz was quick to turn on the charm, "Hey, no need to be skittish around us, we totally dig techno-organics 'round here" he smiled. "-And organics!" Miles added; suddenly noticing the human teen sitting the silver bot's shoulder, and the other humans sitting on the other bots shoulders and standing around their feet, a look of ease seemed to come over her as a small smile crossed her lips.

"Actually, I am..." she replied with a little more confidence, Blackshot and the other 9 team members blinked in surprise; this, apparently, seemed to be a first for her.

"Sweet! What's yer altmode?" the blonde teen asked eagerly

"Well? I can't transform here, there's no water, but I can transform to my aquatic-femme mode; that should be okay, even out of water..." she replied as she sat down on the ground with her legs out straight; with one hard push she rocked backwards and in less than a second her legs transformed into one long beautiful fish tail, with feathery white fins and glistening green and aqua scale-like armour platelets. The bots gazed at her in astonishment, but the humans gawked at her with reverence and awe.

" .Way..." Epps staggered as he looked her up and down

"She's a _mermaid_? ..." Sam gawked

"Holy crap! She _is_ a mermaid!" Will blurted out

"What? What's a 'mermaid'?" Seashine asked in alarm, wondering what had shocked the humans so much.

"Check it out on Google! We already did!" Bluestreak grinned in titillation; Seashine took a few seconds to search the definition of 'mermaid' on the internet, and her face fell in shocked amazement. " .Primus..." she gasped as she pressed her hands to her cheeks; "I said you were going to like it here" Majestrix smiled slyly. "I need to find some water! I need to find some water!" Seashine panicked as she transformed her tail back into legs and tried to bolt when Majestrix stopped her, "Calm down, you'll have plenty of time to preen and play with the fishes-" she stated, though it did little to dampen Seashine's newly awoken enthusiasm.

"*sigh* Not one minute off the ship and already she's gotta find some water? Typical" a rather obnoxious voice spoke out from the ship; Seashine's happy smile instantly reverted back to a nervous look of anxiety, and was quick to hide behind Majestrix's broad frame as three more bots exited the ship. These three were all flyers: two mech's and one femme. The smaller mech had the loudest paintjob with dark and light ultra marine blues and bright orange racing stripes, his helm was a complex structure that made him look like he had a head of spiky golden 'hair', and his broad wings and large air intakes indicated he had a robust altmode. The femme was taller but with a curvy build, her frame was coloured in a mix of sky and slate blues with dark charcoal and pale pewter grey, her frame was a feminine version of Deathshot's own design, but leaner and with more curves, her helm too was asymmetric as it looked like a 'combed over spiky bob-cut' with one huge metal bang falling over the right side of her face. But the largest mech however, was a spitting resemblance of Deathshot himself; almost his twin in every regard bar his left optic, the mech was black and charcoal from head to toe with a deathly white face, and had the same frame design to boot. He was almost an exact match except for one or two details that Deathshot didn't have, and he had that same cold emotionless expression that Deathshot wore when he was ticked off, only ten times more intimidating. Morri and her cousins stared in wide eye amazement at the lookalike, wondering just what the hell was going on.

"Holy Crap! D is that brother?" Tom whispered

"Nope, that's my old sniping partner, Coldbore" the sniper frowned

"And the other two?" Morri asked

"Velocity and Longrange: also snipers, part of the 9's stealth and reconnaissance unit, the best snipers in the division" he informed them

"He kinda looks like he has the same altmode as you" Danny observed as he watched as the black sniper scan his optics over the crowd, Deathshot made a note to stand out of his range of view, "In a way he does, but my altmode was a prototype; his is the second generation of the CSC, its stealth capabilities are far superior to mine" he replied in a deadpan tone, the kids gazed at each other in surprise, another sniper whose altmode was even more stealthier than their guardian's?...Surely not?

"Hey, do me a favour..." Deathshot glanced at them, "Keep your heads down. I'm going to say 'hello' to my old friends...before they have a chance to cause any trouble..." he frowned, the cousins wanted to ask why but quickly kept their opinions to themselves as the sniper silently made his way through the crowd, moving silently like a ghost without anyone noticing. As the three snipers stepped off the ramp and looked over the crowd of gathered Autobots, Majestrix's pleased manner was replaced by a more sour expression, as if disappointed.

"Ah yes; three of my best snipers, Coldbore, Velocity and Longrange-" she introduced in a flat tone, "-Fine scouts and fine snipers" she added dryly. The three bots looked around and frowned; they didn't seem to like what they saw...

"_This _is what we gotta work with?" Longrange said offhand in a slightly sarcastic tone, "-What a dump"

"Well? Granted it's not Cybertron, but it's pretty comfy once you get used to it" Bluestreak offered, trying to be friendly. Noticing the three human girl's sitting on his shoulders, Velocity snubbed in a smooth casual tone "I highly doubt that...", the young gunner blinked in surprise, and frowned at her rudeness; the Waineright sisters weren't pleased either as they glared daggers into the back of her helm as she turned away.

"It's pretty spacious; lotta garage space, plenty of hangers, and enough room for just about everything we all need" Jazz interjected,

"Everything you _ground-huggers_ need; we do fine on our own" Longrange replied coolly

"_Ground-huggers?_ ..." Arcee growled: all three of her selves glared at the young sniper in annoyance. Suddenly, his helm snapped forward with a loud CLANG as Majestrix hit him upside the back of the helm, "You will show some respect for your fellow Autobots!-" she sternly growled, "The fact many of these bots have terrestrial based altmode's _doesn't_ make them any less than you!"

"Oh? And _you'd_ be so willing to give up your wings and join them rolling around in the dirt? Your _brother_ certainly didn't..." the youngster smirked. In a spark/heart beat, it was clear where this was going as the bots stood in awkward silence; but Optimus was quick to step...

"That kind of behavior will _not_ be tolerated on this base Longrange; and showing disrespect to your commander is not acceptable either. As long as you are on this base, you _will_ respect the chain of command and keep your personal opinions to yourself, is that clear?" Optimus stated sternly. "Yeah whatever-" Longrange waved off in a snobbish tone; Ironhide was about to step forward and give him a firsthand lesson in respecting your leader, when he suddenly spotted Thundercracker and Skywarp standing behind Botanica...

"CONS!-" he shouted; the three snipers whipped out their weapons and aimed to fire, the cons were about to duck down when suddenly-, three shots rang out and the sights of their weapons exploded in front of they're faces. Staggering back and regaining their footing, the snipers stared at their weapons in alarm; the sights had been shot through, and the entry holes were less than an inch from where their nose-plate would've been...

"You three haven't changed one bit..." Deathshot deadpanned as he folded his sniper gun away, "...And there's me thinking your time in stasis would've done you some good" he casually stated as he stepped towards them from where he had been standing at the extreme right-hand side of the ship's rear entrance. Everyone watched in silence, both interested, and nervous to see where this was going...

"...Deathshot..." Velocity breathed in wide-eyed astonishment

"What-..." Longrange (bluffed) was at a loss for words

"Oh please don't give me that slag, I know Majestrix told you about how I got here, and everything else that followed" he frowned at the youngster, who frowned at him in return 'the ol' mech still as sharp as ever. Frag' he thought to himself.

"So, where have you been?" Velocity asked

"Around..." The sniper shrugged, "...Finding my way here eventually, taking some time to reassess and amend some things in my life; and making a few new friends along the way" he stated casually, at that moment Morri, Tom and Danny poked their heads out from around the back of his helm and air intakes, and gazed at the snipers; who each regarded them with an uncaring and unimpressed gaze...

"So? You got yourself some new pets? Well I knew you'd miss us but I didn't think you'd be _desperate_" Longrange smirked sarcastically; in one rapid move Deathshot whipped his hand up, unsheathed his claws and grabbed Longshot's left audio tightly; the young mech protested angrily but didn't dare flinch as the claws painfully tightened around his sensitive audio. Deathshot leaned down, and in a clam collected voice, warned him "If you _ever_ refer to my charges, or _any_ of the humans on this base as our pets I _will personally_ rip your wings off and feed you to Geo. Do you _understand_ me?" He then shoved him hard, causing him to stumble over backwards onto his aft.

"Deathshot!-" Velocity protested as she bent down to help the youngster up, Coldbore glared coldly at him, unimpressed by the threat.

"Since when the frag have you cared about organics?!-" Longrange spat, "-You couldn't care about anyone else let alone let alone a bunch of primitive meat-sacks! What're they even doing on our base?-"

"Correction: _Their_ base, _their _planet, _their_ rules, and they outnumber us six billion to one. You'd do well to remember that" Deathshot pointed a clawed finger at him.

"We're their _guests _on this world kid, so don't go insulting them!" Kup sternly added

"Since when have Autobots cared what organics think?!" the young sniper demanded arrogantly, to which everyone frowned (most just facepalmed in sheer embarrassment); of all the stupidest things to say, _that_ had to rank up there with the worst of them, and not even Sunstreaker was impressed.

"Oh I don't know? Since FOREVER!-" Jetfire reprimanded angrily; "_'Since when have Autobots cared what organics think?' _What planet have _you_ been orbiting ya idiot?!"

"Seriously? _Not cool_ dude..." Jazz shook his head in sour disparagement.

"Yeah, we don't go for that whole 'organics are weak' thing, it's kind've a major bummer round here" Beachcomber stated in a patronizing tone, "And if anything, you might wanna watch where you step, these little guys can put up a _real_ fight when they want to" he pointed to the NEST troops standing before them, who were all gazing up at the snipers with sour looks.

"HAH! What the frag can they do?! They're tiny!-" Longrange guffawed

"-You watch what you say buddy or I'll come up there and kick yer dental-plates in!" Epps frowned

"Oh yeah? And what're you gonna do?"

"This-" Colonel Bishop replied as he took out a grenade from his pocket, pulled the pin, and with one well-aimed lob threw the explosive into the sniper's air-intake; "-GRANADE!" he called out.

"WHAT! Get it out! Get it out!-" Longrange panicked as he jumped around, trying to reach his air intake. Everyone scattered instantly, running and ducking for cover to try and evade the blast; but only Majestrix, Optimus and the Colonel stood where they were, watching with slight satisfaction as the young sniper kept running around; until, after three or so minutes, stopped when he realized he hadn't blown up into scrap metal.

"It's a dud?" he stared at the human in wide-eyed disbelief

"That one is; but if you ever step out of line and cause trouble for Major Lennox and his team, the next one _will_ be a real one" the Colonel warned sternly with a hard steely gaze. Outraged, Longrange stomped towards the human, ready to squish him under his foot. "You little-" He seethed, but didn't have time to satisfy his anger as every bot was suddenly there in front of him, weapons charged, and a look in their optics that told him they weren't kidding...

"Take one more step and I'll throw you down boy..." Jetfire growled with his flaming axe at the ready. "Back off; that kinda attitude ain't wanted around here..." Bumblebee frowned angrily; having the common sense to realize he was vastly outnumbered, Longrange took a few steps back and reluctantly submitted. "Fine: whatever, you like your pets? You can keep 'em; but don't expect me to pick up their remains when those cons over there show their true colours..." he pointed to the seekers, who glared at him with disdain.

"That won't happen" Deathshot stated firmly

"Excuse me?" Longrange sarcastically replied

"They _won't _turn; they're not the same seekers we knew before" he stated

"And you _know_ that for a fact?" Shadowstar piped up in disbelief

"If I didn't think they were capable, I wouldn't have let Thundercracker save Danny's life that day the section 9 building fell, nor advice Prime to let Skywarp be part of the mission to infiltrate the Black Lotus HQ" he stated vehemently. Danny stared at Deathshot completely nonplussed, as did the two seekers, who gazed at him in astonishment. The snipers, as did the rest of the bots stared at him in equal surprise and confusion; Majestrix looked at Optimus with a look that said: is this true? To which he discreetly nodded in affirmation.

"But-, how could you know? How could you be so sure their intentions were true to their word?" Velocity demanded.

"...I didn't..." was all Deathshot honestly replied; everyone's faces fell in shock, but no one had a chance to ask way as he explained: "...We all take chances on other people, some less calculated than others; and trust is a chance rarely squandered when you're trying to atone for past sins. Sooner or later, we all have to throw our luck in and be willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt, not just to prove to everyone that they can do better, but to prove to themselves as well"

Silence

"...Why? ..." Coldbore asked curtly, Deathshot regarded him with a disappointed look before replying: "...Two reasons; one, because _my_ friends gave me a chance to prove I can do better, that I _can_ be better. It'd be very hypocritical of me to not show the same level of honour to those who seek the same atonement. And two..."

He gazed over at Thundercracker and Skywarp

"...Everyone say's the war ended when the Allspark was destroyed...Something tells me it ended a lot sooner than that, and _everyone_ but us, _knew it_..." he sighed. The snipers stared at him, their faces a deadpanned mix of several emotions, but no one defined their overall reaction. As she studied their faces carefully, Morri couldn't tell if they were surprised by their former partner's change in character; or disappointed that he'd changed so much, and that it shocked them to see he now had such compassion. Glancing past them at the other 9 team members; she saw all but Eclipse, Shadowstar and Blackshot were surprised: the three femmes frowned at him, displeased at his show of morality.

With a cold knot beginning to tighten around her stomach, Morri couldn't help but wonder what Prime had let himself in for with these bots; as Majestrix and Optimus glared at them with threatening looks it was clear to see there was a history between them, all of them, that it was more than a difference of opinion that was the main issue here: and it didn't feel right.

From where they watched the gathering up in one of the observation platforms overlooking the gorge; Ashley and his father stared in wide-eyed amazement. Having just watched what had happened between Deathshot and the three strange flyers, an unnerving sense of alarm began to fill the room, as the look on Deathshot's face told them it had been more than just a light skirmish.

"What the hell was that all about dad?" Ashley asked, his tail twitching in anxiousness

"I don't know..." John frowned, "...But I got a feeling you might wanna keep yer head down when they come in"

* * *

A/N The intros would've been so long I had to break it up into 2 chapters ;)

R&R Please!


	9. Chp 9: Difference To Indifference

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.

* * *

TOMORROW IS FOREVER COMING

Chapter 9: Difference to Indifference 

"...Beautiful..." Obsidian mused with a content smile as he watched the changing sky. The afternoon was passing into the evening, and the first oranges, pinks and reds of the setting sun began to light up the sky in a blaze of colour; like fire dancing across the heavens.

The rest of the afternoon had passed quietly, and without further incident; after the introductions the rest of the 9 were given a brief tour of the base and briefed further on what their new posts would be, now that Prime would be their new official commander (an arrangement that, strangely, Majestrix hadn't contested) they would be taking their orders from him now. A fact that some didn't (openly) approve of, while the rest had no issues with it. After wrapping up several other minor details the new bots were given some down time for the next day or two to go and explore the base, so as to acquaint themselves with their new home. While most were happy for the other bots and humans to give them the grand tour, the rest had opted to rely on Teletran-1's data network as a means of navigation, and went off on their own. When the most of the bots off-duty hours finally rolled around, the guardians and their charges held an unofficial welcome party for the new arrivals in one of the auxiliary hangers on the top western-side of the gorge, one of many that sat near the air strip. There: Que, Moonshine, Novastar, Seashine, Portia and Crystalwing and her children were happily chatting away with the kids and sharing old memories and jokes with their fellow bots. It was a great atmosphere, not least because it was nice that one could be so fascinated and intrigued by another culture, one so alien and yet so similar to their own; and at the same time it was a comfort to know that not everyone judges others by their outward differences.

As he left the hanger to go top up his energon cube in the next hanger over, Obsidian caught a glimpse of his younger sister Shadowstar in the distance, watching him from atop a large stack of boulders, staring at him with a look of disapproval written across her face. Calming his thoughts and reaching his mind out the clear the distance between them; he tugged lightly at her mind...

'_Please, will you not join us? ...'_

No reply came, and she took off; disappearing into the scrub. For a moment his spark sank in its chamber; remembering the events of earlier, and how disrespectfully she had behaved towards the others. On the one hand it was rude and uncalled for and he wanted to reprimand her for it, but at the same time he knew the source of her anger, and found he couldn't blame her; there weren't that many that understood how a telepath's mind works when struck with emotional turmoil. As he entered the hanger and approached the energon dispenser, a ripple of blood red passed over his mind, and the image of a singular glowing red optic filled the front of his mind, watching him with intense curiosity. He knew this, he'd seen it before, and the first time he couldn't afford to waver or feel fear, if he had the optic would've cut him down without hesitation. But that was then, this is _now_; and now he acknowledged it with a degree of respect, for this fellow telepath was as surprised to see _him_ here, as was he was to learn he had defected...

"...It's been a long time" Obsidian mused in a cool and collected tone

"Since the raids on Fortress Maximus and the siege of Zenn-Kai 5...That was over thirty thousand years ago..." Ravage purred smoothly as he watched him from the rafters of the hanger, his one optic shining out of the gloom, the rest of his body was shrouded in shadow.

"Has it really been that long?"

"It felt longer"

"Bar five thousand of those years I wouldn't know; I wasn't there, remember?"

"You were lucky"

"In what context does the use of that word apply? It was war; we had to make-do making our own luck"

"You weren't there when Cybertron finally died..."

Obsidian hesitated; he found he had no reply for that, and dropped his gaze in quiet lament.

"...Of all the traitors that ever slithered their way into Megatron's ranks; I never pegged you for being a double-agent" Ravage continued

"Liar"

"True, I had my suspicions; and had you not been a telepath I could've snuck into your mind and tear you apart from the inside out...You were always different, even as a Decepticon you had some strange ways. That certainly got Soundwave's attention"

"Your creator was always a hard mech to please; he was never truly satisfied until he double-checked and triple-checked every last little detail, and even then he still had to keep tabs on everything. Getting him to trust me was no small feat...but then, he never truly trusted anyone, did he?"

"No he didn't. Trust was a luxury he saved only for me and my brothers; our loyalty to him was always absolute. Just like yours is to _your_ creator..."

"True, but she always had one major advantage over Soundwave, one he could never best"

"And what's that?"

"...She wasn't a psychopath..."

Silence

"...My creator may have been 'overly austere' in many regards; but he was not completely sparkless. Those 'quiet times' we shared together as a family, the privet moments we could have each other to ourselves; he lived for those days, and always held them close to his spark. It was the one thing that kept the cold of space at bay on those long missions, and the worst of the war from completely driving us insane...You're no different, I sensed you had a twin sister, a family; but you were always so careful to keep their faces hidden, even when you recharged your mind was a stone, dead to the world and impenetrable. I pondered on how such a telepath could be so powerful and disciplined, even against another of my creator's caliber; but then, we didn't know you'd discovered the art of counter-telepathy, let alone help _create _it"

"And think how many spies and double-agents we were able to slip under your creator's radar thanks to it,"

"Hmm?" the panther flicked an ear

"Pardon?" Obsidian raised an optic ridge

"Oh nothing, I thought just heard Megatron turning in his grave" Ravage grinned, both mech's chuckled, and allowed a moment of understanding to pass between them as they both relaxed their mental guards and allowed their telepathic selves to ripple at the front of each other's minds, a neutral exchange of memories and feelings, filling in the gaps where words had no use.

After a moment of silence, Obsidian said thoughtfully: "...I'm sorry for your loss"

"...I know..." the panther heaved a sigh

"...I know he told you to survive, and although I doubt he would doubt you for it, do you think he'd approve of your defection?"

Ravage thought carefully for a minute before replying: "...Like I said, trust was a luxury he saved only for us; and although his loyalty and devotion to Megatron was unquestionable, only _we _knew that, at the very back of his mind there was that one part of him that _always_ longed to be free, to get as far away from the darkness as possible, and just live peacefully, with us...Sometimes, I couldn't help but think he was so different on the inside, that he offlined eons ago and became a different mech, and that the Soundwave _we_ knew was the last fragment of that mech and his spark, the one part Megatron could _never_ reach"

"...If he'd survived the Nemesis's self-destruction; do you think he'd join you in defection?"

"Only because Megatron is dead would he air on the side of caution and join us; but if he so ordered, we would return without hesitation"

"I know; but could you _really_ go back? Knowing what you know now, all that you've learnt, could you turn you back on that? On them? ..." Obsidian gestured to the human children in the hanger.

"Not entirely; circumstances change all the time, and were I ordered to kill them I probably wouldn't, they're _only_ ones who've _earned_ the privilege to escape a quick and painless death; no amount of torture on _any_ Decepticons part would persuade me otherwise. However, were they to die in agony at _their _hands, I would make the cons _bleed_, and _scream_ before snuffing their spark out in the worst way possible"

"...That doesn't surprise me"

"After what we did together all those centuries ago, I'd be _very_ surprised if you were" the panther smiled slyly, before turning serious again, "...And likewise, I am sorry for your loss too..."

Obsidian looked up at him in mild surprise, but dropped his gaze in lament once again: "Thank you..." he quietly replied

"How long has it been?"

"It was, about a month; before we were ordered to head for the outskirts of the Xion system"

"Ah..." Ravage realized, "So it's still recent as far as you perceive"

"Twenty five thousand years in the shutter of an optic, such a length of time would've been ample to let us morn properly; instead, we wake up to discover the war is not only over, but that the only way to revive our now-dead homeworld is gone forever. It's a tall truth to bear"

"But it's the truth never the less, and coming to terms with that and _his_ passing has been harder on _her_ than you anticipated..." Ravage gestured to the hanger doors; there they saw Shadowstar slowly sneaking past the party, only to be jumped on by Sparklestar and tackled to the ground in playful banter. Shadowstar pushed her off, growled something at her, and carried on; leaving a now despondent Sparklestar to sulk back to her mother.

"We've all been distraught, but she was _there _when it happened so it's no surprise she's taking it the hardest. She blames our mother for what happened, even though the circumstances were out of her-, our control. We've tried to reach her, even in her recharge, but she _still_ refuse's us; and even though she's shut off her end of the bond we can still sense the pain and anguish within her" he explained woefully.

"...Let her morn, let her sadness take her to the farthest reaches of her spark's sorrow, and once she acknowledges the void in her mind, let her be broken, and at the moment her mind collapses, be there to flow in and fill her mind with your love; and once she's stable again, help her pick up the pieces"

"I don't think mother will want it to get that far"

"It has to; you _know_ how difficult, how dynamically more complex we are compared to ordinary cybertronians. Our psyches don't function in the same sense that regular ones do; and grieving is _far_ from working through the 'five stages of grief'...Patience is a virtue; she'll come back to you, in time"

"...You had to learn that the hard way..."

"...Having their minds all gone at once: I might as well have ripped out my own spark...It's not easy, being so lonely when you've been a part of a whole for so long... Just because you're a killer doesn't mean you're devoid of love; just as fighting for what's right doesn't automatically mean you have morality..."

They both watched as Longrange and Velocity walked across the airstrip, seemingly oblivious to the party in the hanger as they chatted to each other.

"I worry for them, even though I don't _want_ to care I still worry" Obsidian huffed in mild annoyance.

"I'm surprised you put up with them for so long; even I could sense their minds the moment they awoke"

"Some part of me wants to say this is a bad idea"

"We had no choice in the matter; it was either this rock or drifting through the galaxy for Primus knows how many eons. If you want to blame someone or something blame the Allspark, it _was_ the reason we came here in the first place"

"And now our war has affected the lives of the humans; our troubles are not their responsibilities to bear"

"But this is still their home, and they will defend it no matter the cost. Your 'colleagues' brazen opinions won't do them any favours in the long run. You know that"

"I do, and that's what worries me; not for them, but for everyone else..."

"Then I shall be their voice of conscience, and tell them where to _stick it_ if they ever give us any slag"

"That, I have no doubt. But just do me one favor, and don't do anything _deliberate_"

"Only if they don't do anything deliberate _first_"

"I think we both know that's not a certainty..." Obsidian pointed out as he filled up his cube and headed outside; but as he passed through the doors he stopped, looked over his shoulder, and added with a knowing smirk. "...But at least it's nice to have wishful thinking...". He walked back to the hanger and sat down next to his twin sister; Ravage leapt down from the rafters and padded outside into the twilight, breathing deep the cooling night air. Suddenly, another mind caught his attention; turning around, he saw Blackshot off in the distance, standing on the opposite side of the gorge looking straight at him. For the longest moment they stood still and gazed into each other's optics, and as he tried to probe her mind he found he couldn't sense anything of her; no stray thoughts, no idle musings, nothing to suggest she even had a conscience let alone a mind. 'Damn good counter-telepathy...', he thought offhand, and watched as she transformed and jetted off, disappearing into the night sky.

'Yep, this is _defiantly_ going to be interesting'

* * *

Meanwhile: Deep inside the base, down in one of the vast storage units, Thundercracker was moving the last of the Black Solstus's cargo into place, and staking the metal crates into tall neat stakes and rows that lined the back end of the room from floor to ceiling. As he put the last crate in place and ticked off the final number on his list, he stood back to admire his work, 'finally' he thought with relief. But just as he was about to clock-off and head for the rec room, the sound of heavy footsteps made him stop, and watched as Optimus peered around the huge reinforced vault-like doors.

"Ah Thundercracker, I hope I'm not disturbing you" he greeted the seeker as he stepped in

"Uh, no? If fact I'm just finishing up" he replied, wondering why the Prime had come all the way down here.

"Good, because I was on my way to the party up at the air strip, when I nearly forgot to give you this..." he handed him a data pad; 'forgot? Since when does he ever _forget anything?_' the seeker mused to himself as he activated the pad and scrolled down the text. "My new duty roster?" he raised an optic ridge.

"Yes; with the new Autobots now residing on the base we had to make some readjustments to the regular roster, so as to share the workload equally and still make time for necessities like combat training and off-duty hours" Optimus explained. "But-, according to this I'm now posted in J-block, that's way on the other side of the base" Thundercracker pointed out, "Indeed, and I should probably point out it does get quite 'lonely' out there, aside from some of NEST's human personnel you'll have most of the block to yourself" the Prime explained.

Thundercracker thought about it; and in a way it sounded almost too good to be true, "...What's the catch?" he asked suspiciously.

"There is no catch" Prime replied

"So? What happened earlier has nothing to do with me being suddenly posted to one of the emptiest sectors of the base? Away from the central complex, where most of the new bots _will_ be stationed? "

Knowing what he was getting at, Optimus obliged: "I just think it would be a good idea to allow the new Autobots as much room as possible to better adapt to their new circumstances. Do not forget Thundercracker, these bots went into stasis at the height of the war, when the fighting was at its worst; to suddenly wake up and find that war has been lost on both sides must be a heavy truth to bare; one they will need time to come to terms with. And getting used to the idea that you, Skywarp and the drones have changed is going to be even harder to accept"

"...I get that," the seeker sighed, "But even so, that Longrange is a punk with way too much attitude! Even Sunstreaker didn't try to blow my head off when he first learnt of _my_ defection-" he pointed out sternly, to which Optimus looked at him as if to say: we both know that's not quite true; "...Well? Okay, under the circumstances pointing a gun at my head _was_ understandable. But my point is he wasn't reckless, even he and his aft-head brother know when to show restraint" he amended.

"Longrange is brazen to say the least; but he is young and inexperienced, in time he will learn to see the faults in his character"

"That's _if_ he doesn't cause trouble first, or worse; and then there's the others to keep in mind! I can't believe I'm saying this but-, I kinda glad Deathshot's some space between them and-, us..."

"War leaves many scars: the ones that run the deepest are the ones that hardly ever heal, and Majestrix and her team saw the worst of what the war inflicted. You don't simply walk into that level of carnage and expect to come out unaffected by what you've seen, and those Autobots _have _seen it all. Over time, that kind of fighting wares your compassion down, dulls the light in your spark, and at times, even drown out your sense of morality; it is a dark place to tread, and one not many endure without much suffering, sacrifice and courage. It does not excuse Longrange of his actions, or Velocity, Coldbore, Eclipse, Shadowstar or Blackshot of their prejudice; but after so long being stuck in that dark place, it will take them time to rediscover themselves, and to see life as a good thing once again" Optimus stated with reverence, Thundercracker gazed at him as his frustration drained away...

"I wish it were that simple..." he sighed quietly

"Me too, but give them time; we just have to be patient..." Optimus placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. A brief moment of silence passed between them before Prime pasted a wistful sigh and changed the subject...

"...Listen: There is something I think I should have clarified when you first came to us, and probably, I should've clarified a _long_ time ago...When I say that freedom is the right of all sentient beings, I mean _all_ sentient beings, even the ones who have made more than their share of bad choices; I believe in second chances and giving the benefit of the doubt, even to those who have wronged us. It's not easy, but if anyone is serious about wanting to change for the better, I am always willing to allow them the freedom to try...It can be hard to live with others who regard you as evil, but it's even harder to live with yourself when you know you've made a bad choice. I've made plenty of them down the eons, and there's not a year goes by they don't come back to haunt me in one form or another... " he explained ruefully with a heavy spark.

"But-," Thundercracker hesitated, a little taken aback by Prime's openness, "...After everything that's happened, everything we've done. How can you forgive us just like that?"

"Forgiveness is earned Thundercracker; and often, it comes at a cost..." Optimus sighed; "...A wise human once said: war is not about whose right, it's about whose left. And we _are_ all that's left of our once great civilization; at the end of the day, when all the fighting is done and all the hatred is spent, we are _all_ cybertronians no matter what insignia we have embezzled upon our chassis... Look at the humans, and all the conflict and violence they have inflicted upon themselves down the centuries; collectively they have fought, won and lost over twenty times more wars than us, all ranging from territorial disputes over land and resources to political action and holy wars against each others creeds and religious beliefs. Their various empires, nations and kingdoms have come and gone, but they still remain and endure; the more violent side of their nature may be a fact of what they are, but had they not learnt to forgive one another, they would have gone extinct a long time ago. One of the more darker aspects of war is that it can become a mirror, through the actions and tactical decisions you make you see another side that you never anticipated, and you start to realize that you have to force yourself to ask some very difficult questions: like, 'did I make the right choice?' and, 'what if I made the wrong choice?'..."

Thundercracker stared at him in slightly taken aback, but said nothing as he listen to Prime continue: "...Sometimes our enemies are never as evil as we imagined, and sometimes with much reluctance, we realize we're never as good as we like to believe; we tell ourselves that we're doing the right thing, you tell yourselves your doing the right thing. But no matter how much we procrastinated and try to imagine otherwise, we _all_ chose to hang on to our anger, we _all_ chose not to forgive, and now? What is left but us? And anyone else fortunate enough to endure this long? ..."

Silence

"...Let me tell you something I haven't told anyone before..." Optimus continued in a softer voice , "Long ago, in the aftermath of Tyger Pax, I stood upon what was left of the battlefield and watched as the Allspark disappeared into the void of space; and-, just by chance, I saw you flying overhead..."

Thundercracker swallowed hard as a cold streak shot up his spinal unit,

"I saw your injuries, saw the look in your optics, and I couldn't help but think: Is this what we've come to?-"

The seeker blinked

"-Is this what we envisioned? That the only hope to save our world was to put our greatest life-force out of reach of the one cybertronian who could stop all this, who _could_ have stopped it right there and then; but instead, chose oblivion, and he'd be willing to drag everyone else down with him if it meant he could wear his crown...It pained me to think that there were so many of you that _wanted _to choose otherwise, but couldn't, for fear of Megatron's wrath; and those that did were turned away like stray turbo-rats because they had only been known as Decepticons. No Autobot should ever be so consumed by his anger that he neglects the value of life, and while the bots under my command were the examples by which I set my principles, there were many out there that disgraced the name of Autobot by their violent and immoral behaviours. And for that, I was deeply ashamed, for they had not only failed me; they failed themselves as well..." Optimus said ruefully, "...If anyone is unworthy of forgiveness, it is me..."

"You?-, But, how-"

"-I miscalculated" he interrupted him

"Miscalculated?"

"I underestimated Megatron on so many levels; time and time again, deep down I truly believed he was not completely beyond insanity, that some part of him was still able to see sense and reason, to still be capable of goodness" Optimus explained

"Of all the people-, why do you _say_ that? I'd have thought you'd _loath _him to the core! After everything he's done to us, to _you_; how could you pity him all these eons?" Thundercracker exclaimed in disbelief, "...Of all the mech's to want to hate him the most, why not you?"

For a moment, a sense of sadness shimmered in Prime's optics, as deep down something in his spark ached, and all he found he could say was: "...He was my brother...You don't spend your entire life with someone you cared deeply for, and just abandon them at the first sign of trouble... A lifetime ago I made a terrible mistake, my brother was-, in trouble, and the one time I should've been there for him I wasn't; he _never_ forgave me for it, and took his anger out in the worst way possible..."

The seeker dropped his gaze in thought...

"You don't give up on your family Thundercracker, not ever; I may not have been there for my brother when he needed me but I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. Majestrix and I are different in many respects, but at the end of the day when all said and done, she is _still _my sister, and I her brother; a lifetime ago we _swore_ that no matter the circumstances, good or bad, we would _never_ forget that fact"

Silence

"...All this time-," Thundercracker thought aloud, "...And you never thought twice about it? ..."

"...Never..."

For a long moment neither of them said anything, as Thundercracker thought about what he had just heard, and Prime allowed himself to feel a measure of calm, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Well, I should be going..." Optimus said as he turned to leave the room

"Wait-," Thundercracker stopped him, "...When I said I don't want fight for the wrong reasons anymore; I wasn't completely sure I believed my own words. All I we wanted-, all _I_ wanted; was to not be stuck fighting anymore. I _want_ to live my life for _me_, and not feel guilty that it's at someone else's expense...But now?-, I don't know if I have any right to _want_ to have that; You may believe I'm worth a second chance, but after everything that's happened over the eons I have no right to ask _anything _of you. I've done things. Things you would execute me for in a sparkbeat, and you _know_ this better than anyone! A million times over on a million different battlefields, I took so many lives and made twice as many suffer; your troops know this too, and their just as much at a loss as I am as to why you let me onto this base, as if all those times before have no significance!" he vehemently pointed out, his disbelief beginning to turn into anger, "...How could you be so-,..." and then he was at a loss for words, unable think clearly as his mind try to make sense of it all. Seeing the look on his face, Prime stepped back towards him, and was about to say something when he suddenly got the feeling that someone else was watching them both...

Looking over at the doors, they both watched as Deathshot slipped out of the dark corridor and into the room...

"...How long have you been standing there?" the seeker asked in mild surprise

"Long enough" he replied softly as he approached

"Shouldn't you be up there with your charges?"

"I told them I was going to look for Prime, they're about to start the music and Elita would like to share a waltz with her sparkmate" The sniper shot a sly wink at Optimus. "Anyway..." he changed the subject, "I owe you an apology for what happened earlier today; I knew they wouldn't be keen on seeing you here: and I guess I shouldn't have been surprised Longrange's first instinct would be to shoot"

The seeker wanted to let his frustration out at the sniper for not warning him before hand, but something at the back of his mind told him it might not have made any real difference; pushing it aside, he sighed and asked: "Who's idea was it to make him part of your division anyway?"

"You'd have to take that up with Blackshot; she recruited most of us on Majestrix's behalf"

"Figures..." the seeker frowned, "...But that's not what vexes me about what happened. I'm more interested in what you said..."

"...I thought you might be" Deathshot sighed

"...I'm still finding your level of unconditional confidence in me and Skywarp perplexing, but what you said: were you really watching us _that_ closely the whole time in that other universe? Knowing full well you could've saved your charge's life at anytime, and complete the mission to infiltrate the Black Lotus's base had the human prisoners not already been 'transformed'?" Thundercracker demanded

"Yes, and had you not I would've been there to amend the situation on both fronts" Deathshot stated frankly

"You wanted to see what we would do"

"Obviously"

Thundercracker frowned at Optimus; Deathshot had a pretty good idea what he was thinking: "-It wasn't Prime's order to keep an optic on you; it was purely on the part of my own curiosity..." Deathshot hesitated a moment before continuing, "...I-, had to confirm my prior suspicion that both of you had really turned"

"_Prior_ suspicion? ..." Thundercracker echoed with a raised optic

"You suspected they already had a change of spark? _Before_ Elita found them?" Optimus asked curiously. Suddenly intrigued as to what the sniper was implying; both Optimus and Thundercracker listened as Deathshot explained...

"...About three months before that fateful mission to the Xion system, I had been dispatched to take care of some Decepticon snipers that were proving to be a problem for the Wreakers. The mission took longer than anticipated but eventually I got all the targets and headed back to the ship. I was passing through the asteroid belts of the Tunkei system when I came across a downed Autobot patrol vessel that had crash-landed on one of the asteroids; I proceeded to go and assist them when suddenly my scanners alerted me to a fast-approaching Decepticon seeker. I figured he must have been one of the cons that attacked the ship and was coming there to finish the job. Using one of the asteroids for cover I waited for the target to come within range, from where I was positioned I could see the crew had managed to evacuate the ship safely, and it was just a matter of waiting until the target showed himself... To my surprise, I saw it was you"

"Thundercracker stared at him in shock

"-For a moment I was wondering what one of Megatron's most trusted seekers was doing in that sector of the system; what was on that ship that he'd been ordered to go after? But I decided to ask questions later as I lined up the shot; as you came within a click of the ship you hid behind one of the smaller asteroids, undoubtedly waiting for an opportunity to ambush once everyone was out. My crosshairs fell onto the back of your helm, and I waited, and waited, and waited...after a while I realized something was off; you weren't poised the way a typical seeker would when they're about to attack, and you didn't keep your optics on the bots. You were just sitting there, staring off into nothingness, as if something else had suddenly come to mind and it stopped you dead in your flight-path; then as silently as you came, you left the bots alone..."

Now Prime was somewhat surprised...

"...It was at that point I realized I hadn't taken the shot. At the time I didn't know _why_ I'd done that? Why my curiosity got the better of me? And why, when I _knew_ you were at your most vulnerable, I let you go? For the longest time afterwards I tried to figure it out, even after I came to earth I was still trying to unravel what had gone through my processor. But looking back and knowing what I know now, I realized that something happened on that day; something profound, and I think on some level that was the beginning of the end. I didn't know where the war took you after that day, but for the longest time I was left to ask, why? ..." Deathshot dropped his gaze in thought for a moment, before meeting Thundercracker's optics. "...And if I hadn't forced myself to seek the answer to that question, I might not be the mech I am today. In a way, you did me a favour; and one, I feel I am obliged to repay in extending a courtesy"

For a moment Thundercracker didn't know what to say as he stared at Deathshot in sheer astonishment; the memory of said day began to come back to the forefront of his mind and a frame-freezing chill shot up his spinal unit and clenched his spark tightly, 'he was _there_?' he couldn't help but think, realizing he'd come within an inch of death, at the hands of the Autobot's most notorious sniper. For a moment the notion of that fact paralyzed him with fear; before breathing a sigh of relief and letting it go, safe in the knowledge that the past was past, and he hadn't take the shot. As he let his mind calm down, his shoulders slacked and he allowed himself to feel the burden of that day's events flow away like water, as he recalled what happened:

"...I remember that day..." he said quietly in a weary voice, "...We'd received word that a scout ship masquerading as a patrol vessel was carrying some sensitive data, and that it had to be 'taken care of'. Some of the other seekers found the ship and fired upon it, but it took cover in the asteroid field so I went on ahead to finish the job. I eventually caught up with it and waited for everyone to evacuate before I made my move...but just when I was about to swoop down on them; I had this-..._cold_ feeling, in my spark, and suddenly I'm asking myself: _what difference would this make?_..." his face plates scrunched up in a look of confusion and self-doubt, "...I tried to push it away but the more I tried to forget the more it consumed my mind. For as long as I could remember I'd been running ambushes and assaults like this one, all for disposing of those that posed a direct threat to Megatron and his closet forces, among other things. And not once did I stop to ask for what reasons and why... It _never _once occurred to me until that moment; that attacking another Autobot data-running mission wouldn't have made any difference. It wasn't like the data it was carrying would make the fighting grind to a halt and shift the course of the war in a new direction; ever since Tyger Pax we'd been stuck in the same quagmire for so long that some part of me knew this wasn't going to change: attacking that ship and its crew wasn't going to make any difference to us, and it wasn't going to serve any purpose except incur more needless loss of life..." he explained, but Prime and the sniper looked at him with unreadable looks, as if somewhat sceptical about the latter.

"Look..." He regarded them with a frank look, "I've never shied away from spilling energon; yes I've been brutal, even monstrous at the very worst of times. But _always_ with a purpose; when an Autobot came looking for me it was always to fight: I'd fight him, he fought me, and one of us would walk away; that was the way it was. But to kill for no reason? When your opponent can't defend themselves? Even when the Decepticons were at the height of their power that notion never sat well with me. And even though Megatron never shied away from committing the unspeakable I still tried to uphold my principles...But the more the war dragged on, and the more the value of such principles slipped away into useless redundancy; I gradually began to wonder what it had all been for? The Allspark was gone; Megatron's absence had created a power vacuum that every con scrambled to try and fill, and the bots were left to try and stave off the worst of it as best as they could while Cybertron finally gave up the spark. What had it all been for? What part did we have to play in this mindlessness anymore? ...As I watched the ship and its crew I thought about it, _all_ of it, and realized I didn't want to do this anymore. So I left, and when I returned I told the rest of the seekers that the ship crashed into one of the asteroids. No one thought to go and confirm my story so the mission was deemed a success...I don't know what happened to those bots or where they are now, but if one of them ever finds their way here; I don't want them to know what happened, and even if they discovered what I did, I don't want their gratitude" he explained as he cast his gaze downward, a look of something akin to guilt and shame began to form in his optics.

"...Do you _feel_ you did the right thing that day?" Prime asked softly, the seeker looked at him for a moment, still unsure of his confidence, "...That day I wasn't sure...But now? Maybe in hindsight it would be deemed as the right choice; but-..." he hesitated, "...I'm still don't know..."

Optimus and Deathshot glanced at each other,

"...Do you still find my unconditional confidence perplexing?" the sniper asked

"...No" the seeker replied, "Not anymore. And although one attack of conscience won't make up for my crimes; I know one thing for sure now..." he gazed at Prime, "...I know I didn't make the _wrong_ choice coming here; but the rest? I guess I'm gonna have to learn as I go along"

"...It is a good first step" Optimus smiled, "...A wise human once said: 'Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance'; showing mercy in a moment of profound realization doesn't make you weak. For it is within weakness we find our strength, and can draw upon it to imbue our confidence with motivation, to strive for being a better being, and for knowing that it doesn't make us any less. All you need is the confidence to see it" he explained wisely

"Or in other words, it just means having morality doesn't make you wrong, it just makes you surprisingly human" Deathshot smiled, Thundercracker blinked in surprise but didn't make an issue of it, if anything it felt like more of an odd observation than a well meaning insult. "Does this mean I don't have to worry about you glaring at me from the shadows and the upper atmosphere?" he asked dubiously.

"Let's just say: considering our shared history, I don't think the issue of skepticism isn't big deal anymore. Just trust your instincts, and if you honestly don't know, just ask. I don't make it my business to gossip behind others backs, and I certainly don't deem it weakness or stupidity to be curious" Deathshot explained frankly.

"Curiosity is the calling card of an open mind; and my door is always open if you ever want to talk" Prime added; looking back and forth between them, Thundercracker allowed a tiny measure of cautious optimism to reassure him this was okay, he was going to be alright, and for the first time in what left like the longest time he could consciously remember, he had a good feeling he was going to recharge well tonight. "...Thank you" he sighed: though he didn't smile, the gratitude was there in his optics, and Prime felt a small feeling of accomplishment swell in his spark; he was glad they had this talk, and it showed in his smile.

"But one other thing-" Thundercracker was quick to ask, "...Please don't tell anyone"

"It never happened" Deathshot smiled, "Now come on, why don't you come upstairs and join the party?"

"Eh? As long as I don't have to dance" the seeker frowned as he was lead out of the room and down the corridor; suddenly, Deathshot stopped and perked to attention, as if a sound of some kind had reached his keen audios.

"What's wrong?" Optimus asked

"-Oh, it's nothing; just one of the other human soldiers in the next corridor" the sniper was quick to reply. As the three of them left the corridor and headed for the underground highway, the automatic lights in the ceiling powered down and plunged the corridors and storage units into a dim gloom (one of Wheeljack's better inventions for saving power).

...But standing in the shadows, at the opposite end of the corridor, Coldbore watched the door the three bots had gone through; listening to their banter as they disappeared onto the upper levels... his optics sharpened into a deathly frown...

* * *

The night waned on, the party went into full swing and a good time was had by all; but before long tiredness and exhaustion had gotten the better of everyone. Sparklestar was starting to make a fuss in her mother lap, as did Blackmoon and Acidwing who both started bickering over who gets the last cube of high-grade, and the humans were starting to doze off on their guardian's shoulder, so at about 11:30-ish everyone decided to call it a night and head off to bed/recharge. But before she went back to her quarters on the Black Solstus, Novastar had decided to try out the base's wash racks: which consisted of a line of ten bot-sized shower cubicles, five automated car washes, each a various size to accommodate the larger and smaller altmode's, and one HUGE rinse pool (which to the humans was a giant indoor lake!). After a refreshing shower she headed out of the doors, only to bump into a big broad set of black and purple jet wings.

"Hey! Watch where you're go-" Skywarp's train of thought stopped as he twirled around and suddenly saw the yellow and purple femme, who was equally taken aback to see him...

"Oh!-Uh? I-I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!" she fumbled awkwardly

"Uh? N-no! I'm sorry, I-I didn't see where I was going!" he nervously replied; as Novastar tried to straighten up, she looked at him in funny way_; 'Aw Slag! She knows I'm an ex-con!'_ he thought in a flustered panic...

"Uh? D-didn't I see you earlier today?" she asked nervously, for a moment Skywarp didn't know how to reply at first, as his anxiousness began to get the better of him: "Um? Well?-uh? Maybe? I mean- I was way at the back so it might have been a lil' hard to pick me out from among all the larger bots" he fumbled as he wrung his clawed hands.

"Er? Um?-" now she started to grow nervous, "A-are you-, r-really an ex-Decepticon?" she winced slightly, hoping she didn't say the wrong thing; as the seeker looked at her his tenseness seemed to double before giving way to an even more anxious wince, "...Uh? ...Yes? ..." he replied, waiting for the onslaught of 'you don't belong here' and 'you don't deserve to be an Autobot'. But much to his surprise, she blinked in surprise, and stared up at him curiously.

"Really?" she asked

"Uh?...really?..." he nodded, shying away a little as she raised an optic ridge

"You're n-not as-, _scary_, as I thought..." she offered. Skywarp did a double-take; taking a second to reboot his systems: 'Did I hear her right?' he thought in confusion, "Uh?-E-excuse me?" he raised an optic ridge.

"Well? It's just-" she tried to explain, rubbing the back of her neck plates in awkward embarrassment: "-After I got outta stasis we were briefed on who was who around here, and I-, kinda read your file? So? Everyone was telling me to stay away from you because you're not really an Autobot even though you've defected? And I was like 'Well how do you know he's not still a Decepticon?', and everyone was like, 'Cuz once a con always a con' you know?, and I saw you at the back of the crowd today and I saw the way you were looking at me and I'm thinking to myself 'he doesn't look so bad'; but Eclipse told me to stay away cuz you'd only kill me in my recharge, but I'm still thinking you can't be that bad to smile at me like that,-"

'_She saw me smiling?' _Skywarp perked up

"-So I was wondering whether or not to ask you if you really were still a Decepticon because I've never met a real Decepticon before and I didn't know how to ask the question without slaggin' you off, cuz I know defection must be very tough and it must be weird getting used to new things an' stuff and I didn't know if you'd want to answer the question anyway so I just-, kinda, put it to one side-, for, another time; you know? ..." she nervously explained in a flutter: like a school girl trying to ask her crush out to the prom, she twiddled her clawed fingers, twitched her wings and shifted from one foot to the other in fretful nerviness; but as she dared to look back up to meet his crimson red optics, Novastar was taken aback by the tenderness of his gaze...

'_She saw me smiling!'_ he thought happily as a big goofy grin crossed his mouth plates and his spark fluttered about in his spark chamber; if he could blush, his face plates would be redder than a Sideswipe's aft.

"Uuh?-" Novastar started to panic, "-Please don't shoot me!" she squeaked in a nervy little voice as her hands covered her mouth.

"Huh?!" Skywarp's spark nearly skipped a beat when he registered what she just said, "What?-, No no no! I mean-, I-, that is to say I-, I didn't mean-," the seeker panicked as he tried to get his words out; but to his horror and annoyance his processor just seemed to be glitching; but then, he stopped as he suddenly remembered what she said:

"-Wait, You've never met a _Decepticon_ before?" he gave her a weird look, "Ever?"

"W-well? I k-kinda met one when I was a sparkling, but ever since then I've worked as a hacker with the 9's tech-support unit, and in my sister's design studio; I work computers all day so I've never seen any live combat before"

A very awkward silence

"You-...You're an Autobot and you've _never _fought a single Decepticon before?" Skywarp tried to process what she said, not quite believing her on some level,

"Well? Th-that's why I wanted to ask you if y-you really were still a Decepticon; I've only ever seen Decepticons on holo-projectors and profile data-tracts; I've never fought them in combat before, I've never even shot a single live plasma round! I only have these guns because mother insisted I carry some form of protection on me at all times-" she held up her wrists, showing the large set of guns mounted to her forearms, "-And I've never even been more than a hundred miles from the ship let alone taken part in _any_ aerial combat; I-..." she hesitated with a sorry look in her optics, "...I'm not a fighter. I'm a hacker, and, it's-, all I really know how to do..."

"...Uh?..." Skywarp's processor did a double take as he tried to process everything he just heard, to say he was flabbergasted was an understatement, and Novastar began to grow more and more uncomfortable as the awkwardness of the situation seemed to go up a level. "...So? You've _never_ actually fought in the _war_? Hand-to-hand or otherwise?" he asked, "N-not really, no-" Novastar replied in an ashamed tone, "M-mother was always worried about me; I was a weak sparkling most of my life so she used to worry about me a lot. When I finally upgraded to my final frame she wasn't keen on me getting involved with the war as a soldier, she much preferred I stay close to her, and in the time I spent around her and my sisters I got good at handling computers and hacking, so I became part of the tech-support unit and worked from inside the ship as a online operator. In other words I'm-, basically a 'hack-jockey'..." she sulked.

"But-...You're a _flyer_, why would you want to stay inside all the time when you could be up there?" he exclaimed in astonished alarm.

"Oh I know-," she nodded, "-and I do enjoy flying, I _really_ do! It's the one thing that makes me feel better no matter what, but I-," She hesitated as another look of anxiety came over her and she submissively sank her head down between her shoulders, "...I'm not brave enough to fly like the other Autobots; and I _can't_ fly like them: I'm clumsy, I'm slow, I _always_ miss my target, and they always make fun of me. I've never been cut out to be a solder let alone an Autobot..." she sulked as her lips started to tremble and her pink optics looked like they were about to well up with tears; Skywarp suddenly felt his anxiety replaced by alarm as his mind replayed what she just said:

'_I'm not brave enough to fly like the other Autobots' _

'What the-, why hasn't she-, why didn't-...Slag...' he thought in dumbstruck amazement; and what was worse; he could see she _wasn't_ joking. Here, this poor beautiful femme stood before him, the very picture of loveliness, and she hardly had any backbone let alone any real sense of self-assurance; as she looked up at him with teary puppy optics and a look that would've broken even Sunstreaker's hardened spark. The seeker, for all his disbelief, couldn't bring himself to look at her as anything even remotely resembling a spineless coward. She was just too beautiful, which made it all the more painfully ironic when he recalled the old human saying: 'never judge a book by its cover'. Ever since he first laid optics on her earlier that day, he had been fantasizing on what kind of warrior she must be; he knew from past experience it was _always_ the beautiful femmes that were the fiercest and bravest of Autobots, and with her fair looks and stunning frame she must have been a real Valkyrie: fast, swift, powerful and deadly. But to discover she was in actual fact a little turbo-mouse, somewhat put a wet dampener on that fantasy... As he looked into her optics, a wince of pity came over his own face, and with a heavy sigh, he said as calmly and collectedly as he could: "...Well? You _are_ an Autobot, otherwise why would you be wearing that?" he pointed to the Autobot insignia on her breast plates, "And?-, being a hacker's an important job, I mean-, the 9 must've run loads'a important missions, and most of them will have needed online support to avoid detection, right?"

"I guess?" she shrugged, "But being a flyer in a tech-lab? I mean, I never really mind it when I work in my sister's design studio; but when I'm with the others-, they just-...don't approve of me..." she sulked again in a small meek voice. Skywarp tapped his finger against his chin as he thought about this predicament; he was an ex-Decepticon seeker and she was the daughter of a high-ranking Autobot commander, by all rights he _shouldn't even have_ feelings for her let alone take pity on her; but a flyer being turned down by her own kind because she wasn't strong enough to fend for herself? That was another matter entirely, and one he knew was inexcusable on her comrade's part.

"...Listen," he vented softly, "If you want, I can give you flying lessons in my down time? It doesn't have to be combat practice or anything like that, just-, some basic stuff to make you, not so 'clumsy?'"

She blinked at him in surprise

"I-, I don't know; mother's been teaching me how to fly right for _years_ and I still can't get even the basic moves right" she hesitated

"That was your creator, I'm talking about how to fly like a _Decepticon_; even the best Autobot flyers couldn't out manoeuvre a seeker like me-" he grinned proudly, "-and that's _without_ teleportation".

"You-...You'd teach me how to fly like a con?" she breathed in surprise, "But-, is that allowed? I mean-, are you even allowed to go off the base?"

"Meh, as long we stay within the airspace over the base the humans don't mind, and ever since we got back from the other universe the bots have been going a lil' easer on me and 'Cracker" he waved off before a more sombre look came over him, "...But seriously? A flyer who's turned down by her own wingmates? I can't think of a more sadder sight" he sighed ruefully.

"Really?"

"Well? Yeah?" he raised an optic ridge, "I mean-, flyers always _want_ to be up there in the sky with their wingmates, you're _supposed to help_ those who can't fly so well, not put them down just cuz they can't say boo to a turbo-goose! I mean, even cons don't do that to their own rookies"

"They don't?"

"Well? ...No..." a look of open honesty seemed to fill his optics as his shoulders slumped, "- Just cuz cons like me and 'Cracker were 'the bad guy's' durin' the war doesn't mean we were _bad guys _at spark. There were hundreds of us that wanted out when Megatron left, we didn't wanna be stuck fighting in a now-pointless war: Cybertron was dead, the Allspark was lost, and the bots were so gun-ho they _wouldn't even consider_ a ceasefire. Everyone just-, got stuck fighting, and no one knew how to make it stop or to get away; so-, we just carried on..."

"That's so awful" Novastar pressed her hands to her face

"...Not as awful as having yer wingmate turn on you..." the seeker thought aloud in a rueful voice, as the memory of Starscream's betrayal came back to haunt him with a cold empty sadness.

"You mean Starscream? ..." she asked, he glanced at her, "I-, read that part of your file too; I knew you guys were close, but-...did he _really_-, do what he did on the Nemesis?" she asked nervously.

"...Yeah, he did..." he sighed

"But-, that's terrible; how could he be so mean when you'd been such a good friend to him all those eons?"

'_How could he be so mean when you'd been such a good friend to him all those eons?'_, the incredibility of those words was hard to fathom as Skywarp glanced at her as if she'd taken leave of her senses; being 'such a good friend' was _not_ a phrase that was in the Decepticons vocabulary (if at all?), and any Autobot who thought the same had to have had a serious glitch in his CPU. But seeing as Novastar was obviously less than street-smart on the ins and outs of the Decepticon mentality, he dropped the subject and focused his attention back on the issue at hand.

"Well? Life's a glitch, and-, you don't always get to choose who yer wingmates are-" he shrugged, trying to change the subject, "But anyway, what do say? Do you think you'd like to give it a try?"

She just started at him, unsure what to say, and even more unsure if it was right.

"Okay," he offered a small smile; "In answer to your question; no, I'm not"

"Huh?"

"You wanted to know if I really was still a Decepticon. Well? Technically I defected so I'm an Autobot now; but some old habits are hard to get rid of, and having a tendency to be a little 'dark horse' is kinda the 'thing' with me (even though I have no idea what a black-coloured equine mammal's got to do with it?)...but if you think I got any feelings left for my old 'con-buddies'? I can tell you, by the time me an' 'Cracker defected there weren't that many of us left who would stick their wings and necks out for each other forget wanting to give up a life of endless insanity cuz its all they ever knew...I'm not saying I want to go back, being a bot offers a lot more freedom; but if any of the other cons that wanted out of the war come here, I'd like to think I can try to convince them to make the smart move, and just leave it all behind..." he explained

"...Thank you..." she smiled; "...Do you-, want to have a 'night cap' with me? The human's say it's good for helping you recharge, but I don't see how covering your helm with a 'cap' is going to help?" she said as she patted the top of her helm.

"Uh? Maybe we should ask someone: I've no idea what a 'night cap' is either-" he winced sheepishly with a goofy grin as he gestured for her to follow him, "Maybe Jetfire's in the rec-room? I think he's working the night shift; he knows a lot about those weird little 'things' humans come up with"

"I think humans are most creative; it's amazing how they got such a diverse range of words and phrases to describe different things around them; they're so different from us, and yet we're so alike on so many levels" she smiled

"Yeah, I think that's what I like about them" he though aloud

"Which part? The differences or the similarities?"

"Kinda both: but more the differences. They're not bots and their not cons, their just-, 'different'; and I think being different is a good thing..." he smiled to himself as he headed towards the rec-room with Novastar at his side. As they continued to chat, their voices disappeared down the corridor and faded into echo's that whispered along the walls...

...Echo's that reached the eves-dropping audios of a less-than trusting Longrange, and made him frown in ire...

* * *

R&R Please!


	10. Chp 10: The Future

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.

* * *

TOMORROW IS FOREVER COMING

Chapter 10 The Future...

Dawn, before sunrise:

The most refreshing part of the day; before the heat of the sun had a chance to warm up everything up, the air and earth were cool and crisp from the freezing night before; when one breathed deep the morning air, it was like bathing in the finest, most purest mountain spring water, and letting it refresh you from the inside out. Prime couldn't help but bask in the coolness as he inhaled through his vents, and listened as the sounds of the oncoming day brought the desert to life...

The sound of light footsteps made his crack an optic shutter open; seeing no bot was there, he glanced downwards to find Morri standing at his feet.

"Readying yourself for the fitness test?" he asked casually

"I've already had a look at the assault course; and I don't think Bishop's got anything easy in mind..." the brunette sighed as she ran her fingers through her long hair, "Smooth and steady wins the race: that's my mantra for the day. By the way, that was some waltz you and Elita showed off last night"

"She always prefers to lead, I simply go along with her" he replied; Morri couldn't help but smile at the memory of the giant boss-bot being led around the dance-floor by his sparkmate, who looked like she was more than tempted to break out into the lambada when Jazz started playing Kaoma's track of the same name. "So what brings you out here at this early hour?" she changed the subject.

"I always like the dawn; the air helps me find stillness, and time to gather strength for the day ahead" he smiled as he took in another deep breath. Overhead the sky was turning pale, and the clouds slowly shifted from bright reds and pinks to orangey-gold and pale yellow as the sun steadily began to peek over the horizon, and bathe the desert in ruby pink. "It is beautiful..." Morri thought aloud, "...Where I live; there're some mornings the clouds lie so low to the horizon, that the sea and sky look like one and the same; when I was little I used to imagine that strange haze was the way to some far off mystic place, one so wondrous that no one ever came back once they found it"

"We all look to seek a special place that is beyond our reach; one that exists only in our imaginations, and serves as the sanctuary for our minds to retreat to when life gets tough" Optimus offered as he bent down and offered his hand to her. Obligingly she climbed on and let him place her on his shoulder, before they watched the colours of the morning sky stretch from one horizon to another; sitting in contemplative silence for what felt like hours, neither said a word, before Morri glanced sideways at Optimus...

"You know? It's weird"

"What is?"

"How things change in such short spans of time, how _we_ change. When I first came to this base all I expected it to be was a month-long holiday chilling with my mates; I don't think I could've _ever _imagined all that craziness that went down over this past month. And now?, I find myself here...I can't help but wonder, how many times you must've come to this same 'place' during your long life"

"Too many to count" he replied, "But it is a journey I do not regret: Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing, and we can either chose to step up and answer it, or walk away"

"Yeah, I think you said something like that before" she smiled

"True, but it is true, and _you_ answered the call; even through your fears and doubts you stood firm, and you helped saved that parallel earth from a horrific fate. The people of that world will always be indebted to you and the rest of us" he stated

"...I just hope their able to get their lives back on track" she thought aloud

"The people? ...Or _them_?" Prime turned his head to face her; knowing who he was referring to, Morri couldn't help but heave a heavy sigh, as she diverted her gaze to her feet in deep thought. "I miss them..." she spoke in a soft voice, "...The Major, Batou, Togusa; Ishikawa, Saito and Pazu, even Boma was a cool guy, and the Tachikoma's, hell I miss those little think-tanks, and Aramaki was a good man: he didn't break his promise, even when all that shit between the military, the government and the American Empire got ugly; and even when it all went to hell they didn't turn away. I hope for what it's worth, for all the blood, sweat and tears we shed they've got some measure of peace back in their lives"

"They gave so much to their world," Prime contemplated, "And even when no one has the right to ask any more of them, they will still be there to protect and serve the people of their city. It is not out of obligation; it is _who_ they are. Just as _you_ have proven you are wise beyond your years; and that your courage is as deep as the well of allsparks"

"You think so?" she glanced at him

"I know so, and you mustn't doubt what you _know _deep down to be true; I wouldn't have asked you to become one of our ambassadors if I didn't believe you had what it takes..." he replied

"That's another thing I wanted to ask you about-" she changed the subject again, "This whole 'human-Cybertronian-ambassador-slash-NEST-internship'; I'm not saying it's not a good idea, anything but: but I was wondering why you weren't there when Bishop approached us with the offer"

"I apologize; I wanted to be present, but seeing to the new arrivals took precedence. I trust Colonel Bishop explained everything alright?"

"Yeah, can't say anyone apart from Uncle Johnny really objected. And seriously, it is a good idea" she concurred

"...So what is it that vexes your thoughts?" he asked; Morri sighed, the boss-bot never missed _anything_.

"Bishop..." she thought aloud, "...he's quite a guy"

"A human of sound moral principle," Prime nodded, "A good tactician and brave soldier, and yet a man who has gained wisdom and virtue through humility and strife; General Moshower couldn't have chosen a better liaison to serve with us"

"Yeah...But don't you think-, *sigh*"

"That it's almost too good to be true?" he answered for her, Morri snapped her head round 'Bloody hell, he's _good!_ ' she thought in surprise. Turning her gaze away with an exasperated sigh, she let her mind speak itself. "I just find it weird how he's never met any of you guys before, and yet he greets everyone, even Majestrix like old casual acquaintances he's not seen in forever. He doesn't flinch he doesn't constantly look over his head all the time to watch for giant feet moving about, and after what happened yesterday he's not even afraid to lay down the ground rules around here...I just find him; 'uncanny'"

"His stalwart nature is somewhat 'unusual' for a human, but those who have spent their lives in war are seldom surprised when they have seen and experienced so much already" Optimus offered

"I don't blame him if that's the case..."she pondered offhand, "It's just-, my gut instinct's telling me there's more to him: good or bad? I don't know; there's just something about him that comes off as, 'mysterious'"

"...You could be right? Or you could be wrong? Either way; he is a soldier of character and principle, and however the dynamics of this situation works out, I've got a feeling we're just going to have to wait and see how things transpire..." Prime stated

"I guess..." Morri shrugged, "And I know this is a bit of a 'I-think-I-know-the-answer-but-at-the-same-time-I-don't- know-the-answer' sort of question: but with a guy like Bishop in the picture, and everything else that's gone down; where do we go from here?"

"...Hmm..." Prime contemplated the question a moment; and then asked, "Tell me Morri: when this day comes to an end, what will happen to the sun?"

Morri raised an eyebrow, wondering where he was going with this, but she didn't question him and instead obliged, "It'll go down and then it'll be sunset?"

"Correct: and what happens after that?"

"It becomes night"

"And when the night is over?"

"Then the sun'll come up and it'll be sunrise again"

"Correct: and that is how it will be for the next five million years on this world, until the sun finally burns out; and in the great infinite expanse of the universe, time continuously moves forward. Following its own rhythm and flow, but never going back on itself to repeat what happened before"

"Care to enlighten me with your point?"

"Tomorrow is forever coming; day after day the unknown will always lie ahead, and will do so until the end of time. The potential for anything to happen is infinite; and with so many incalculable possibilities, its often best to follow the most simplest of approaches..."

"Which is?"

"Take each day as it comes; roll with the punches, and enjoy what goodness comes along. There's an old human saying I'm fond of that sums it up beautifully; yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift: that is why it is called it the present" the Prime smiled,

"Is there ever a time you _don't_ know what to say?" she smirked

"Not that I recall presently" he offered, "But I have it on good authority that my speech-making abilities are fairly good"

"You're way too modest, you know that?"

"So I've been told..." he turned to head back to the base, "Can I drop you off at the assault course?" he offered

"Thanks, I'm gonna need all the energy I got; I'm praying Bishop hasn't got anymore fake grenades lying around"

"I don't think it's grenades you'll have to worry about..." Prime pointed to the assault course off in the distance; squinting her eyes, Morri could make out a whole bunch of NEST troops standing around with paintball guns strapped to their chests, and clothed head to toe in their black combat suits and gear...

"Aww hell..." she frowned in a dry tone.

* * *

Later that day, inside the base:

The lab was the size of a small four story office block, at least that's how the humans measured it by their metric standards; to a bot the size of Deathshot it was a large-ish to average sized room with an extension of three other smaller rooms joined to the furthest back wall; and filled to the brim with every tool, machine, computer and piece of junk known to cybertronian-kind, all cluttered together in what the humans described as organized chaos.

'_Organized chaos? They weren't kidding...'_ he thought to himself as he tucked in his wings and tail fins and carefully stepped over, around and in between the piles and clattered crates, until finally he reached the huge metal countertop in the centre of the room, and the femme standing before it with several large data-pads spread out in front of her.

"I thought you were spending the day up on the assault course?" Majestrix asked as she continued to read through one of the data-pads.

"They've stop to refuel and rest, I said I'd only be several minutes" Deathshot replied

"And you came all the way down here? ..." she glanced sideways at him with an unreadable look, "What can I do for you?"

"Your relinquishing command of the 9? And I only find out about this _yesterday_?" he frowned

"Not completely: Optimus _is_ the Prime after all, I follow his command like the rest of us; and my troops, including _you_, were always his from the start. So without wishing to cause you further incredulousness, I don't see what all the big fuss is about?" she replied causally, to which Deathshot vented through his air intakes and recollected himself.

"I'm not angry at you," he clarified, "I just think-, don't you think it might be an idea to let Prime know what he's in for?"

"He already knows" she bluntly replied

"He-, _already_ knows?" the sniper raised an optic ridge, "Did I miss something?"

"Only the part where I used to send my monthly reports to Prime, wherever he was in the known universe; and I can tell you the 'courier service' wasn't easy. For as long as the war had been around I was always mindful to keep him abreast of how things were on my end: _including_ the behaviour of my troops" she glanced at him with a sharp look.

"Okay," the sniper acknowledged, "...Look, I know neither of us are about to apologies for Longrange's aft-headedness-"

"Clearly"

"But you've known us way longer than Prime, you know how we think and you know what we're all like. Listen, I respect Prime, _a lot! _There's no other bot I can think off that can step up to do what he does and still carry on while standing tall, and then some. But don't you think putting us under his command might be asking_ too_ much of him? You _know_ how he's keen to amend the defection policies, he's going to have a hard enough time convincing the human government he's got it covered without having to worry about the slag-headed austerity Longrange and the others are putting out!"

"If I didn't think my own brother could handle this, I wouldn't have let him assume command in the first place"

"Then why are you stepping down?" he pressed her; Majestrix put her data-pad down and regarded him with a serious look.

"I am _not_ stepping down: it is merely a temporary arrangement, so I can concentrate my energies and focus on other necessary things, like this..." she gestured to the data-pads, all of which looked to be a series of blue-prints and mechanical drafts.

"What is it?" he asked as he scanned one of the pads.

"The new designs for the Black Solstus's remodeling; she served her purpose as a base very well for many eons, and she saved our lives as a 'lifeboat'; the old femme's still got some life in her yet, and I think the autumn of her day will be well spent as a dual patrol vessel and attack cruiser"

"It looks good..." Deathshot couldn't help but smile, before he turned serious again; "...But it's not the only reason, is it?" he asked,

With a reluctant sigh, Majestrix explained: "...Times have changed, and we need to change with them if we are to endure; we have spent our lives in the dark hunting the worst of what evil had to offer, now, we must come to terms with the fact that the lives we had before are over, and it is time say goodbye. For the longest time I've been giving my order's from behind a holo-projector or monitor; none of you bar a select few knew who I was let alone the fact I was the sister our greatest enemy: my daughter's lives came first, and for the sake for avoiding reprisals I kept my identity a secret to protect _them_...Optimus said he'd take command as a favor, to try and see if he can persuade Longrange and others to take a chance on this world"

"We _both_ know that's a tall order even for Optimus; and I should know I was their partners!"

"I don't disagree with you there; but while Blackshot and the others may be set in their ways Longrange is still quite young; he's the same age as Bluestreak for Primus sake! And if I don't give him that chance to learn better what kind of commander does that make me?" she argued

"Give him a chance? You mean like that chance you gave him at fortress Maximus? ..." Deathshot stated; a firm cold look came over Majestrix's optics, she wanted to bite back at him for that but knew she had no right to, and instead settled for an annoyed scowl, "...I _greatly_ underestimated him" she growled bitterly, "and I made sure it would be the _last_ time I let him loose like that. Ever"

"I know, I was there, and I was _always _there to make sure he stayed out of trouble remember? Me and Coldbore were always the ones left to drag him back to the ship when he got in way too deep! I warned Blackshot-, warned _you_ time and time again he was _a loose cannon_ with a lit fuse, and sooner or later he would get us _all_ into big trouble..." the sniper took a second to calm himself, before continuing with in cool level tone; "...Look, I know why we had to keep him; for one so young he was-, _is _such a crack shot, I don't know anyone else beside Bluestreak who can pull off a shot like he can. And while I'm all for giving the benefit of the doubt; I can only give the benefit of _my_ doubt if he's _really_ willing _to change_, and how often have we had to discipline him for pulling off the same reckless stunts? For starting unnecessary fights; and even disobeying orders on _more_ than one occasion?" he pinched the bridge of his nose plates.

"...I'm going to be honest with you..." Majestrix huffed, "...For as long as I've known that young mech I've not been able to figure him out; from the start it was clear there's a weakness he was desperate to conceal and protect, and that in one form or another it steamed from the Decepticons: seeing his family perish at their hands perhaps? I don't know: it wouldn't have been any different to your circumstances; or any of the others that came to me because they had no one left in their lives that were a priority above they're duty..." she started grow annoyed, "...I'm not going to pretend I have faith or trust in him, he lost that privilege from me years ago; but I _have_ to believe that my brother can _at least_ get through to him on _some level_, and at the very least keep the others in line. I'm not doing this because I have self-doubts; I'm doing this because they need their space... Since I decided to be open about my 'family history' they have been loathed to take me seriously let alone _trust_ me, even though I've been their commander for _eons _and had a _personal _hand in creating the division from scratch. The fact I am Megatron's twin sister, in their optics is the _only_ thing they see of me; and beating some sense into them will not do anything other than to prove I am like _him_ in every way they imagined; that, I am _neve_r going to oblige _anyone_ with..." she growled venomously, before taking a moment to calm herself; "... For the sake of doing the right thing I have created the very situation I sought to avoid; the fact my daughters are old enough and can now defend themselves is the only measure of reassurance that allows me to recharge at night. But beyond that; I'm also doing this because I _honestly don't know_ how to handle this..." she pressed a hand to the side of her helm, "Forcing my full command upon the others will not serve any purpose other than to intensify the situation; it's best if I stand in the background and let them work things out for themselves; and if, _IF,_ they feel they still want me for a commander, I will be here. But until then; I have to figure out for myself how _I'm_ going to endure this. Combat has always been my forte: but peace time? Heh, I'm still getting used to it" she offered a weak smile.

"...You know? I don't blame you" Deathshot sighed

"Hm?"

"Even when I found out who your brother was, I never thought of you as him; at the end of the day the others can think of you whatever they like, but they'd still have to keep in mind that you lead us and kept us alive all those eons. True we've lost comrades down the years, but for the better part you did your duty, and if it wasn't for you-...we'd have ended up in a very different place..."

"...Thank you..." she replied quietly, "Now we just have to try and believe in miracles" she joked

"Heh, I think I've gotten that far yet" he joked with a small smile; "But I do believe in hope"

"Then hope for _all_ our sakes that Optimus _can_ make this work. I have no doubt he will give it his all, he _always_ does; all I ask is that you try too. You may not have faith in Longrange, but _please _have faith in my brother"

"I will..." Deathshot replied softly, discreetly bowing his head, "...and I in you; no matter what happens, commander" he added, to which Majestrix couldn't help but let a small smile tug at her lip plates. "Now if you'll excuse me" he turned to leave,

"Wait-"

He stopped and turned to face her,

"...I'm glad you've been able to get back some measure peace in your life Deathshot. Having those little humans around did you some good" she added thoughtfully

"They did more than just good. They made me realize so much more; including all the stuff I'd been missing out on"

"I hope they can do the same for us"

"They will: in their own way they will; you just got to be open-minded enough to pay attention. Human's aren't as straight forward as they seem, and sometimes you've got to look past the obvious to see where they're coming from ..." the sniper replied, before turning back to the door and leaving the lab. Just as he disappeared down the corridor, Que came in with a stack of data-pads piled up in his arms.

"Sorry I'm late! The Chevys held me up!-" he apologized, and peered back over his shoulder for a second before approaching the table, "Was that Deathshot?"

"Mm-hmm" she hummed

"Huh, what was he doing all the way down here?" the scientist dumped all the pads on the table and scratched the side of his helm.

"Just needed to ask something; nothing to worry about" she smiled to herself

* * *

Early Evening:

*Knock-knock*

"Enter" Bishop replied as the door swung open

"You wanted the reports?" John asked as he can in with a small pile of papers tucked under one arm.

"Ah yes, just put them in the tray and I'll clear them with NSC tomorrow" he replied; the Sergeant placed the papers in the in-tray and turned to leave, "...I'd have thought you be relieved" the Colonel said offhand

"Huh?" John paused

"That they all passed both the fitness test and firearms exam; maybe not all with flying colours, but enough to prove they can be prudent when forced to pay attention" Bishop replied; "And after yesterday I have no doubt they will be paying attention, for quite some time to come"

"Anyone who doesn't would be stupid, or at least have something wrong in the head" the Sergeant folded his arms; an awkward silence fell over the office for a brief moment, the Colonel knew John's attitude hadn't wavered, and since the near-fiasco with Longrange yesterday his guard had been up a little sharper than before, as if waiting for trouble to erupt. Heaving a heavy sigh and letting his posture relax, Bishop looked John in the eye and regarded him with a sense of open honesty: "...Look; I honestly don't blame you for feeling the way you do about all this-"

"-Let's just get one thing straight..." John interrupted; his tone commanding attention, "...Those kids can handle themselves: I know that, everyone here knows that, and after what happened in that other universe they don't have to prove anything to show they can step up to meet any challenge. And while you may have faith in their abilities I can't help but think what else is going on"

"How do you mean?"

John studied the Colonel, his wolf-like eyes locked onto his and stared straight into him; as if searching his very soul for any sign of something that would make him less than believable: "...A guy like you gets recommended for the position of on-site liaison for the Pentagon, and Galloway doesn't have a say in it? The guy maybe a weasel and a serious pain in the neck but he still gets the final say on what goes on around here; and I can't fathom how he'd approve this without wanting to somehow use it as his chance to get onto the classified access list" he said in a deliberate deadpan tone.

"...That's the first thing I asked when they informed me I'd posted here," Bishop sighed in a vexed tone, "And all they told me was 'We need the least-politically minded person there is, you don't have any particular agenda's and you have nothing better to do: ergo, your hired'. I didn't get much say in the matter after that..." the Colonel got up from his chair and came around the side of the desk, "It was a strictly military decision: one the president wasn't keen on, but had to be taken none the less..." Bishop explained, "...Things have changed a lot over the course of the last thirty years; since the end of the cold war America's relationship with the rest of the world have grown and evolved on a number of levels, and for most of that time I saw a lot of what's involved with the process of establishing diplomatic relations, reconciliation, and gaining trust; and the one thing that seemed unavoidable was how 'underhanded' you appeared to be when trying to 'buy off' a country's loyalty. It seems to be a general rule of principle that to do anyone any good you had to be willing to do something at someone else's expense; and _a lot_ of people, have gone to _a lot_ of trouble to keep this place and its occupants a secret..."

John's expression began to turn unreadable, he still didn't feel right, but now he was listening more closely as the Colonel continued; the vexed look in his eyes seemed to allude to something akin to shame, as he looked uncomfortable when he spoke: "...I've done many things in my time, and I've _been_ many thing as well; but I _never_ presume, or _assume_ to know something I haven't experienced firsthand, and I may be 'stringent' at times but I don't make it my business to rush to judgement without first knowing all the facts and conferring the right people for advice. Life is a complex thing Sergeant Briggs, and if there's one thing I have learnt the hard way it's that the important things in life are not given or taken; they must be earned, and often, at a cost" he sighed

"There's no such thing a free lunch; we may get the odd freebie every now and then, but in this particular line of work you have to pay full price nearly every time" John thought aloud.

"I know..." The Colonel nodded, "Which is why I feel I must apologize for giving the impression I'm trying to push this 'arrangement' faster than it can go; I confess I'm somewhat fussy when it comes to taking the initiative on good ideas when they arise. And when an excellent one comes along I can seem a bit-,"

"Charmingly persuasive?"

"Exactly: but I want you to know that I _wouldn't_ have offered the children this 'internship' if I didn't think they could handle the responsibility; and even if I hadn't proposed it and they tried to convince me otherwise, I _still_ wouldn't hand it out. And if there's one thing I can state without pride or ego, it's that I'm a good judge of character"

"That maybe, but you don't strike me as someone who's had experience handling kids"

"True: and I must confess the notion of fatherhood had always been somewhat of a shadow in my life: maybe because my own father wasn't as-, _committed_ as you are..." the Colonel stated, the slight air of wistfulness in his voice didn't escape the Sergeant's notice, and let his arms unfold slowly as he continued to listen: "...I may not have had much experience with kids, but I_ know_ what to look for when I need good people under my command; and if there's one thing that _never_ fails to amaze me, it's that great potential can come in any form: and from _anywhere_"

"That's _defiantly_ true..."John sighed, "But I _still worry_; that's not an excuse it's a fact of what I am, I maybe a soldier but I'm a father and an Uncle_ first_ and I promised my wife and brothers I would keep their kids safe while they're here. They may be old enough to make their own decisions for themselves, but they're still kids at heart, and I'd _at least_ like to sleep a little easier at night knowing I don't have to worry about them getting stuck in a tight spot" he explained vehemently.

"I know..." Bishop nodded, "And while I can't guarantee what the future holds; I _promise _you, as one man of honor to another, when the Decepticon show up again I will _ensure_ they stay off the front lines. You have my word on that..." he stated; as John studied him, the feeling that he had before had melted into the back of his mind, and a new sense of cautious optimism told him to (for the time being at least) keep an open mind. "When the time comes, I'll hold you to that..." he replied frankly, "But before then, fancy a drink? And we'll discuss the finer points of proper 'teen negotiations 101'" he smiled

"A fair deal, and one I won't argue with" the Colonel smiled as he pushed his chair under the desk and turned to leave; but as they both approached the door a beeping sound suddenly caught their attention, and the Colonel pulled out his cell phone from his pocket.

"Agh-," he sighed in frustration as he looked to see who was calling, "Could you give me two minutes? I'll catch up"

"Sure, I'll be down to the rec-room: can I get you anything?" John replied as he left

"Jack Daniels on the rocks-" Bishop said as he pressed the green button and pressed the cell phone to his ear; waiting until the Sergeant was well out of ear-shot, he listened as the voice on the other end started to talk...

As he entered the rec room, the one thing that immediately drew John's attention was his niece and nephews slumped on top of one another in one of the large round bench booth's: all fast asleep from exhaustion and all covered in dust and bruises from the day's events; on the floor in the centre of the booth, curled up in a tight ball like a giant cat, Ashley was asleep and purring with every breath while lying next to him Ravage and his brother's were also asleep, curled up together in a big cosy 'cuddle-ball'. Along from them sat Sam with Mikaela resting her head in his lap, with Mile's draped over her legs, Darren and Glen both sat slumped against each other while using Ravage's back as a make-shift foot-stool, and the Waineright sisters sat with Jay-jay curled up in between them while Scorponok sat with his head slumped over the side of the booth with the rest of his long body lying curled around the outside. As the gang all lay fast asleep, content in each others company, John couldn't help but smile at the sweet little sight, and stood there a while as he watched.

"Kinda one of the moments we live for huh?" Will smiled as he quietly approached

"Yeah..." John nodded, "how did it go?"

"Better than I expected, for once Glen was actually able to keep up"

"And how many Twinkies did Scorponok have to tie to his tail to make sure he kept up?"

"Only one during the warm up, but he put it up to five for the actual test: surprisingly it was pretty effective, until Scrappy picked up his scent, and then he helped Glen set the all-time track record" Lennox couldn't help but chuckle.

"You're kidding?"

"Nope, Epps got a shot of him crossing the finish line on his cell! I'll email the photo later" he tittered, to which John couldn't help but laugh

"Dare I even ask how it went up on the firing range?" John asked as he tried to regain his composure

"Aw hell, get a drink and I'll tell ya!-" Will grinned as he tip-toed to the bar

"You might wanna make it a double, it was a doozy!" Jetfire tittered as he headed for the energon bar; John suddenly saw Ironhide standing where the seeker had been, and saw most his body was covered in dents and dings, all of which looked distinctively like bullet grazes and deflections: the sour look on his face plates gave the man a pretty good idea what happened.

"'Doozy' is an understatement" the weapons specialist grumbled as he walked over to get a cube of energon. Looking back over at the booth, John watched in wide-eyed amazement as he saw Acidwing and Sparklestar carefully stepping over and around the kids and drones; drawing doodles on their faces with black markers, and trying hard not to burst out into laughter.

"Yep, a double sounds like a good idea..." he smiled to himself; and he got the drinks, he took a moment to let lose a sigh of content as the quite peacefulness of the evening calmed his thoughts, and let his mind relax...

...That was: until Ravage's optic flew open, and noticed the marker pen clenched in Sparklestar's paw...

* * *

"I gotta admit, as weird as it is, it's _so _beautiful" Bumblebee smiled as he stared up at the Ios Crystal as it hovered above the ground.

"I have yet to know an individual who has been disappointed by its splendor" Alpha Trion smiled as he waved his hand; a ripple of light radiated out from his fingers, and the crystal moved to the back of the hanger, where a large system of bot-sized ladders and walkways moved into position around the crystal's platform.

"I'm amazed you put the walkways together so fast; but then, being the seer of all time I guess it's no small feat for you" the young scout smirked

"Being the master of your _own_ time allows for much flexibility; _the rest_ of time? That's another matter altogether" the ancient mech replied as he typed some commands into one of the nearby computer terminals.

"...Listen, I know there's probably a 'no-spoiler' policy attached to this question-"

"-But your curiosity is eager to be satisfied anyway" Alpha smiled, to which Bumblebee grinned sheepishly

"...What _is_ gonna happen now? Where do we go from here?"

"It is as I explained: the future is what _you_ make of it, there will no doubt be unexpected obstacles to overcome. But if you 'stick to your guns', there's not much you can do wrong. You just have to have faith in yourself young one"

"Yeah, I was kinda expecting something like that" he rubbed the back of his neck plates

"But it is true, and it is the same thing I tell all who come to me with that same question; those that refuse it seldom find what their looking for, and often, to not accept the truth is to go down the path of ruin and despair. We are all born with a choice and purpose, and it is for us alone to figure out where our destinies lead us"

"Yeah but-, what if you figure out your destiny? Where do you go from there?"

"That's the beautiful thing about the future; you get to forge a new one..." Alpha smiled, to which Bumblebee couldn't help but smile. As they both watched the crystal for a while, another question came to the scout's mind: "So what _are_ you gonna do? Now that your back, and we're not exactly gonna be getting weekly horoscopes, how're you gonna fill out your time?"

"I'll be around-" the mech replied as he climbed up one of the ladder's onto the walkway, "-when I'm needed here. But otherwise; I still have a job to do; the Covenant of Primus isn't going to write itself, and there are other things in the works I must oversee..."

"Other things? Like what?"

"Ah, now that would be telling-" he smirked, "All things come to pass in their own good time; and in the meantime, I have to be sure someone somewhere doesn't throw a spanner in the works"

"Would they?"

"It wouldn't be the first time it happened; but if you ever need advice, the crystal's portal is _always_ open. Oh, and on another note, your charge might need your assistance round about now, you might want to fetch him some hot water and soap... Well, good night" he waved good bye, and stepped through the liquid surface of the crystal's portal.

Bumblebee couldn't help but raise an optic ridge, 'he's one strange mech: friendly, but _weird_' he thought to himself, as he powered down the computer systems, and pressed a control to withdraw the walkway from the crystal, before finally heading out the door and shutting the hanger for the night.

As he stepped inside his abode, Alpha let his staff drift from his hand, into where it liked to prop itself up for the night; but as he made his way over to the energon fountain, something suddenly caught his attention. What would've sounded like crystal wind-chimes to anyone else, to him was the sound of the flow of the space-time continuum. As he approached the portal on the edge of the multiverse, he gazed into the continuum as something stirred: far across the ether, he listened as a familiar presence reached out to him...

"...I am here..." he whispered,

The presence replied in a voice only he could understand, and only _he_ could hear...

"...Of course, I am always ready to serve you"

The presence whispered again

"Are you sure? It would be a bold course of action"

Another whisper

"It is nothing they haven't encountered before"

Yet another whisper

"...I see; then in that case the next chapter of the Covenant will have to be written"

Another whisper

"...Of course, I am always here; and I will be ready for them too"

As swiftly as it came, the presence was gone; the staff floated back over to the mech, and hovered before him as if in worry.

"...It seems fate has chosen the moments of its choosing; and we've got work to do..." he frowned as he walked over a gleaming white light, within which stood a pristine white desk and chair, and upon the desk lay a giant bot-size book with the symbol of the primes engraved upon its cover. From out of his subspace, the Quill flew out and into his hand as he sat down and opened the book; all at once a radiant white light streamed out and the Covenant availed it power as he flicked through the pages...

Upon finding the unwritten pages, he started to write, and as all of time and space unveiled itself to him, he saw everything that had been, everything that was now...

And everything that could be...

* * *

R&R Please!


	11. Epiloge

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.

* * *

TOMORROW IS FOREVER COMING

EPILOGUE

He ran

It was all he knew he could do now

He didn't know how long he'd been running for, and he didn't care; he just had to put as much distance behind him as possible,

Rushing through the forest at break-neck speed: his eyes could barely see through the pitch black night, his lungs felt like they were on fire as he panted hard, sweat dripped from his face, and his legs felt like they were about to give out and let him collapse. But they didn't, he forced himself to keep going, not slowing down even for a second, he couldn't afford to...for he knew what was chasing him.

Finally his destination was in sight, and as he followed the faint glow of the cabin's lights through the trees, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys; sliding to a halt on the porch, his hands were shaking too much and it wasn't until his fifth try he was able to get the key in the latch and open the door.

Without wasting a second he headed straight for the bedroom; he flipped the mattress and pulled out his Berreta M9, taking a second to make sure it was still loaded. He then proceeded to the desk in the corner, pried the already-loose floorboards apart and took out the laptop which had been hiding under there. Logging online and activating the web-cam, he didn't have to wait long for a response...

"**WHAT HAPPENED?!"** a voice exclaimed angrily

"Our cover's been blown!" he replied, trying to calm his breathing

"**Wha-, How?" **

"Doesn't matter: listen, they're on the move, they know what we learnt and they're stepping up their game-plan!"

"**What about the others?"**

"Jones and Paulson are heading for New York right now, they'll meet up with Carlson; I don't know where Fisher and Tyler are, they haven't picked up their cells; and Jean-...she stayed behind to make sure we got out..."

"**,Shit"**

"Listen, I'm sending the data right now-" he pulled out a USB stick from his pocket and plugged it in, "-it should all be there. But whatever you do _don't_ send in the cavalry, the whole thing's gone completely ape-shit!"

"**But if they know we have to notify-**

"NO! We can't! NEST has been compromised!"

"**-What?!"**

"The mole is already _in!_ He's there right now!"

"**, Fucking hell..."**

"Listen, they're coming for me so I don't have much time: you _have_ to call Moirai"

"**Moirai?"**

"Yes, she's the _only_ one who knew about this from the start, she's the one Karlov went to all those years ago; she'll know what to do"

"**But-, we don't know where she is! And we-**

"THEN FIND HER! For God sake she's the only one who has a chance of stopping this! She's one of the few who knows the truth, _all the truth_, we need her back!"

"**Alright, but what about the mole?"**

"The data's on the disk, are you getting it yet?"

"**Yeah, it's just coming up, its-...no...This can't be true-"**

"It is..."

"**Look, I'll take care of things here: you just get the fuck out of there and get to the rendezvous!"**

"I won't get there in time; they sent Broadsword"

"**...Oh god..."**

"Listen: tell Williams not to be upset, this wasn't for nothing; and tell Bryson, Dicks and Harris not to blame themselves: this wasn't their fault, we just didn't know events would move this quickly"

"**...Sure, okay"**

"One last thing; there's more of them coming"

"**What? When?"**

"Not for another few months, but they confirmed it's defiantly more of them"

"**Autobots or Decepticons?"**

"They don't know, and frankly they don't care. They're not into taking favorites anymore; from now on, it's all and any. And anyone who gets in the way is expendable, even civilians"

"**,Shit; Listen, I don't know how we're going to do this, but I **_**promise**_** you, we will-**, *beep*, the connection suddenly went dead, and the whole screen went black, for a moment he didn't know what happened, until he suddenly realized what it was.

"...Took them longer than I expected..." he sighed to himself

"**On the contrary Mr Kingsley..."** another, much sinister voice replied from the laptop; the screen flared back to life with images of his partners, _all_ his partners, all shot through the head and lying on the ground in various positions. **"We already had you and your friends from the moment you left: we just wanted to let **_**you**_** say goodbye, and to make a statement to your superiors"**

"What makes you think you're going to win this?" he growled venomously

"**Win? Oh come now mister Kingsley this is hardly a game of any kind. We think of this more as an investment that has been growing and maturing steadily, and in due time it will be ready to be cashed in, as soon as it is at its ripest. I'm sorry to say you should've put your investments into a more lucrative deal"**

"I'd rather go to hell than join you sick freaks!"

"**Well? To each his own, but either way: we're unstoppable now, and it's only matter of time before we achieve what we've been striving for"**

"The Autobots will have something to say about that when they find out"

"**They won't find out, and they will never have anything to say ever again once they're finally ours"**

"...We'll see: there's more to them than meets the eye; and you'd do best to run and hide when they find out what you've been up to. Because when they find out the truth, _and they will_, its gonna be _war_, and they're gonna go _to town_ on your asses"

"**Well? We'll just have to wait and see won't we? Farewell, Mr Kingsley"**

As the laptop went dead, the sound of a distant helicopter told him it was time...

"Okay, let's get this over with..." he sighed as he got up from the chair, paced over the wardrobe, and took out the M134 mini gun that was leaning against the side. After loading up a fresh belt, he slowly paced downstairs to the hall, turned off all the lights, and waited...

He knew they were there

The humanoid shadows moving in between the trees got closer and closer, and tiny beams of red laser light cut through the dark. The gun was damn heavy, but he didn't care, he was still too high on his own adrenaline to care any less; but it was okay. This was the end and he knew it, but he figured if this was his last night on earth, he'd go down with a measure of satisfaction...

They made no sound, but as they approached closer and crept onto the porch, a small grin began to tug at his lips as they got closer and closer to the door...

...Until finally...

"TIME TO EAT SOME LEAD MOTHERFUC-

BRATATATATATATATATATATATATAT ATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT A!

* * *

O_O Wanna stick around? stay tuned for the next installment: After The Storm

Oh, and don't forget to R&R please!


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